MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine prosecutors say they will file charges of tax evasion against a news website that has been critical of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The Justice Department said in a statement it found probable cause to indict Rappler Holdings Corp. and its president, journalist Maria Ressa.
Rappler called it "a clear form of continuing intimidation and harassment" and an attempt to "silence reporting that does not please the administration."
Duterte had already banned a Rappler reporter from news briefings after the government's corporate watchdog found that the organization violated a constitutional prohibition on foreign ownership when it received money from an international investment firm. Rappler rejects it.
Duterte has accused several independent media groups in the Philippines of biased reporting, including on his crackdown on illegal drugs that has left thousands dead.
