ICC prosecutor to present more evidence vs Duterte

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is expected to disclose more evidence against former president Rodrigo Duterte apart from the ones that were used as bases for the issuance of a warrant for his arrest.

- JANVIC MATEO

In his three-page communication to the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber dated March 24, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said the "181 items" earlier disclosed to Duterte's defense team do not include materials concerning seven witnesses.

Additional details regarding the evidence were not available as these were listed as confidential.

But the court filing showed that the judges have granted the request of the ICC prosecutor.

With no cases yet filed in local courts against former president Rodrigo Duterte, his arrest and flight to The Hague to face trial for crimes against humanity cannot be considered a surrender of the country’s sovereignty, Senate President Francis Escudero said yesterday.

At the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum, Escudero stressed that the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute does not remove the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) over Duterte’s case.

“In the first place, those who filed the case before the ICC are Filipinos and not foreigners. It’s also Filipinos who decided to do this,” Escudero said.