Davao Cong. Omar Duterte Visits Former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte Inside the ICC Detention Facility
OMAR DUTERTE – The Davao City Representative revealed that former President Rodrigo Duterte has yet to know about the International Criminal Court (ICC) ruling on his interim release plea.
The camp of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte appealed the September 26 ruling of the International Criminal Court that denied his interim release. On November 28, the court held a hearing over the said appeal.
Former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte skipped the hearing of his ICC interim release plea. He signed a waiver and he was represented by his legal counsel, British-Israeli lawyer Nicholas Kaufman. Prior to the said hearing, his supporters held vigils praying for the granting of his temporary release from the ICC detention.
However, the decision of the ICC did not favor former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte as the court rejected his interim release appeal. The decision was read by Presiding Judge Luz Del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza during an open-court.
The Appeals Chamber which decided on the appeal of Duterte’s camp rejected all the three (3) grounds cited by the former President’s defense team. They are as follows:
- The Pre-Trial Chamber erroneously found that Duterte poses a risk under Article 58(1)(b) of the Rome Statute
- The Pre-Trial Chamber erred in its rejection of the guarantees proposed by the State willing to receive him
- The Pre-Trial Chamber erred in law by failing to take into account humanitarian considerations in assessing the right to interim release.
All of the children of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte are currently in the Philippines. It was his grandson, Davao City Congressman Omar Duterte who was in The Hague, Netherlands when the ICC interim release hearing was held.
Following the court junking the ICC interim release plea of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, Davao Cong. Omar Duterte visited his grandfather inside the ICC detention facility. Based on a report on GMA News, he was with his wife and their two (2) children during the visit.
According to Cong. Omar Duterte, they agreed not to mention about the ICC ruling on his interim release plea to former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte during the visit. Based on the report, he shared that they focused on talking about family.
“Pagpasok namin, nag-agree kami na wag munang pag-usapan ‘yung kay lolo. Although alam niya today na may appeal hearing. Nag-focus na lang kami sa family, joke-joke. Pero malalaman naman niya ‘yan in the coming days,” the Davao Congressman said.
Based on the report, Cong. Omar Duterte expressed his doubts why the ICC cites his grandfather as a flight risk. He stressed that he can barely stand on his own.
“Ipinagtatataka ko na paano nila masabi na high risk siya na, eh kung tatayo siya sa upuan kailangan pang tulungan. Paano yun naging flight risk?” the Davao Congressman said.
Following the decision of the court, the Duterte family immediately issued a statement on the ICC junking the interim release plea of the former President.