MANILA Former Philippine senator Leila de Lima, out on bail after more than six years in jail, aims to keep on doing what likely sent her behind bars in the first place-investigating the deaths that happened during then President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.
In an exclusive interview with The Straits Times on Dec 1, de Lima said she intends to help the International Criminal Court's (ICC) ongoing probe into Mr Duterte's antidrugs campaign during his presidency from 2016 to 2022, when thousands of drug suspects died in police operations and vigilantestyle killings.
The ICC is also investigating Mr Duterte for his links to the socalled Davao Death Squad (DDS), a vigilante group that allegedly conducted summary killings in Davao City, where Mr Duterte was mayor for 22 years.
The ICC's drug war investigation was initially halted at the request of the Duterte-led government in November 2021, three years after Mr Duterte pulled the Philippines out of the tribunal.
But in January 2023, the ICC said it was resuming its probe. Six months later, it rejected the Philippine government's appeal to stop the probe.
Said de Lima: "Yes. I want to contribute to the ICC case against Duterte. My experience in handling the investigation into the DDS killings would be a very important resource or reference point for the ongoing ICC investigation." She said she can serve as a resource person for the tribunal, help its investigators speak to the relatives of drug war victims and even look for whistleblowers from within the Philippine National Police.
"I cannot comment on whether they have already approached me or whether we've had communications already. But I made it clear that I can help in whatever way I can," said de Lima.
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