Senator Antonio Trillanes asks prosecutor for more time to answer inciting to sedition, coup, graft raps

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, through his lawyers, has asked the Pasay City prosecutor's office to give him more time, at least 15 more days within which to allow his camp to prepare or file the required counter-affidavit, moving the deadline from Monday, December 11, to December 26. to answer the criminal complaints filed against him by certain lawyers over remarks he made against President Rodrigo Duterte.

Named complainants were lawyers Eligio Mallari, Glenn Chong, Nestor Ifurung, Jacinto Paras, Eduardo Bringas, Nasser Marohomsalic and businessman Louis Biraogo.

The motion was filed prior to the continuation of the preliminary investigation against Trillanes after a group of lawyers filed complaints for inciting to sedition, proposal to commit coup d'etat and graft against the senator on November 16.

The complaint stemmed from Trillanes' October 3 privilege speech in which he accused Duterte of having bank transactions of more than P2 billion from 2006 to 2015.

Trillanes made no direct appeal for soldiers to kill Duterte, but merely said troops would probably have to use their M-60 machine guns against the president because of the volume of evidence proving the latter's ill-gotten wealth.

"Kung makikita ito ng mga sundalo, M-60 ang gagamitin sa'yo kasi marami-rami ito. Mauubos yung magasin, kung P40 million yung hinahanap mo," Trillanes had said.

Trillanes was reacting to a speech made by Duterte where he said anybody can shoot him if it could be proven that his lifetime savings exceeded P40 million.

"Trillanes not only repeatedly uttered seditious words or speeches (Article 142 of the Revised Penal Code) and unabatedly circulated scurrilous libels against the President (Article 142, RPC), which tend to disturb the public peace, but also repeatedly incited others to inflict any hate or revenge upon his person (Article 142, in relation to Article 139 (3), RPC; first mode of commission)," the complaint stated.

Luna told GMA News Online, which is the source of this new, that they understood the need for such an extension.

They will however, on order of the prosecutor, return to the prosecutor's office on January 8 to resume the preliminary investigation.

"Siguro by that time, na-submit na ni Senator Trillanes yung kanyang counter-affidavit," Luna said. "Meron rin po kaming mag-file ng reply or rejoinder sa kanyang counter-affidavit upon receipt."

Paras, who threatened to sue Trillanes over his remarks, said they were confident that they had sufficient evidence for their complaints to push through.

"Malaki po ang tiwala namin. We have lots of confidence na well-prepared yung aming ebidensya at tsaka yung supporting jurisprudence tungkol dito sa kasong ito," Paras said.

Trillanes dismissed the raps as a move by Duterte's "minions" to distract him from Duterte's alleged murders, corruption, and Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo “Pulong” Duterte's involvement in the smuggling of the shabu shipment past the Bureau of Customs last May.

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