Spokesman of ICC Speaks on Investigation of Duterte Drug War, Possibility if Releasing More Arrest Warrants
ICC – The International Criminal Court confirmed that investigation of the other personalities linked to Duterte drug war is “ongoing”.
Following the unexpected turn of events last March 11, former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte is now under the custody of the ICC. He is faced with allegations of crimes against humanity and is detained at the Hague Penitentiary Institution.
A lawyer previously claimed that the ICC will shoulder the expenses of the witnesses against Duterte and not the Philippine government. Following the former President’s initial appearance before the ICC pre-trial chamber last March 15, the confirmation of charges is set on September 23.
The legal team of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte has been finalized. It will be led by British-Israeli lawyer Nicholas Kaufman who previously expressed his confidence on their camp’s jurisdictional argument. He stressed that it should succeed and he will be disappointed if it won’t.
The British-Israeli Lawyer also claimed that if he will be able to convince the judges that the ICC has no jurisdiction in the country, there might be no need to get to the phase of the confirmation of charges against his client. Aside from Kaufman, Duterte’s final legal team also includes French lawyer Dov Jacobs.
Recently, an official of the International Criminal Court confirmed that an investigation on the personalities linked into the drug war of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte is “ongoing”. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, ICC spokesman Fadi el Abdallah said that the judges are the one who will decide in case an arrest warrant will be issued to a personality or not.
“The ICC prosecutor and his office are continuing to investigate and if they have sufficient evidence, they will present it to the judges, and the judges will decide whether to issue…arrest warrants,” the ICC Spokesman said.
However, based on the report, the ICC Spokesperson refused to provide more details citing the confidentiality of the probe. He stressed that it is “a key element to ensure the success of the investigation”.
While the ICC has not named him, Sen. Bato dela Rosa who was the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during the implementation of the war on drugs tagged himself as the second target of the foreign court. Previously, Sen. Bato dela Rosa defended his change of stance over the possible ICC arrest.