Manila: President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday threatened to "whack" the Philippines' money laundering council, a regulatory body headed by the central bank governor, accusing its officials of corruption and failing to do their job.
Duterte demanded that the members of the central bank's Anti-Money Laundering Council resign for failing to provide him an unspecified "assessment report".
"I'll count one to three and if you don't resign, I will treat you as a drug addict," said the 71-year-old leader, who is waging a brutal anti-drug campaign that has left more than 5,000 people dead since he became president in July.
"Better prepare there because I'll give you a whack. But you are all, you are all corrupt," he said in a speech after signing the 2017 national budget.
"I am going to charge all of you there, criminally," Duterte said without naming any council official in particular.
The four-member council is the state regulatory body enforcing the Philippines's anti-money laundering law.
