Update on Former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte ICC Case
RODRIGO DUTERTE – The camp of the former President confirmed its plan to request the International Criminal Court to suspend the September 23 hearing for the ICC confirmation of charges.
Former Pres. Duterte is under the custody of the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands since March. He is faced with an accusation of crimes against humanity over the war on drugs during his term as the Philippine president.
Duterte has repeatedly claimed that everything he did during his term as president was for the country and the Filipino people. Recently, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte even called on the ICC to back off and not to interfere in the issues in the Philippines. The family members of the former President are taking turns in visiting him.
The lawyers of former Pres. Duterte has applied for the interim release of their client. According to Vice Pres. Sara Duterte, her father may be taken cared of better if they can hire a nurse or a caregiver to attend to his needs. She stressed that not all the needs of the 80-year-old former President can be provided inside the ICC detention facility.
However, the lawyers of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte unexpectedly requested the ICC to delay its decision-making on the interim release bid of the former Chief Executive. According to Duterte’s camp, they still await some documents and information that could help support their plea for his interim release.
Recently, the camp of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte also confirmed their plan to ask the ICC to suspend the hearing for the confirmation of charges which is scheduled on September 23. Based on a report on PhilStar, British-Israeli lawyer Nicholas Kaufman claimed that there are allegedly delays in accessing various information about Duterte’s case.
Based on the report, Duterte’s team will be using new information to raise an issue “as a bar to the holding of a hearing on the confirmation of charges”. The confirmation of charges is the part of the ICC process wherein there is enough evidence for the case against Duterte to push through with the trial.
Reportedly, in case the charges against the former President will be confirmed, the case will be assigned to an ICC trial chamber. After it, additional evidence may be submitted.
Previously, amid the request of the camp of the former President to halt the decisioning over his interim release plea, an ICC prosecutor asked the court to junk the appeal of Duterte’s camp to delay the ruling in the interim release bid.