MANILA: Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte was hit with a criminal charge on Tuesday (Aug 11) over an alleged death threat against the country's president, a key part of the case against her at her ongoing Senate impeachment trial. The charge of "grave threats" was filed on Tuesday afternoon in a Quezon City courtroom, Department of Justice spokesman Polo Martinez said. Lawyers for Duterte on Tuesday argued the case could not be pursued while she was being impeached. "As a sitting impeachable officer, the Vice President may not be prosecuted for an alleged offence that is also the subject of an impeachment case," defence lawyer Paul Lawrence Lim said in a statement. "There might be theories that can be applied later on, but right now, nothing will stop the DOJ from proceeding with the criminal case."