MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte’s legal counsel on Wednesday accused National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag of political bias in investigating former policeman Rodulfo M. Gracioso Jr.’s allegations against her.
In a statement, lawyer Paul Lawrence Lim said Matibag’s previous opinion articles criticizing Duterte raised questions about his impartiality in handling the investigation.
Lim also questioned Matibag’s public disclosures on the progress of the investigation, saying these appeared to favor Gracioso and imply guilt on the part of the vice president and her family while her impeachment trial was ongoing.
“With respect, his current publicity on the progress of what is supposed to be a live investigation — showing support for Mr. Gracioso and implying guilt to the Vice President and her family, simultaneous with the impeachment trial — appears to confirm this bias,” Lim said.
The vice president’s counsel said the NBI was expected to conduct professional and politically neutral investigations, warning against using the agency for partisan purposes.
“We trust that this is not representative of the entire agency,” Lim said.
The statement came amid the NBI’s investigation into Gracioso’s allegations against Duterte, which the vice president has disputed.
