Ex-Philippine President Ends Effort to Remove ICC Judges
(MENAFN) Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has decided not to pursue further action regarding his request to disqualify two International Criminal Court (ICC) judges in a high-profile crimes against humanity case, his legal counsel confirmed. A newspaper reported Sunday that Duterte’s lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, stated the former leader will not challenge the court's rejection of his appeal.
This decision comes after the ICC dismissed Duterte's claim on July 3 that judges Reine Alapini-Gansou and Maria del Socorro Flores Liera had demonstrated bias in their involvement with his case. Duterte's defense team had argued that the judges’ previous engagements created a potential conflict of interest.
Kaufman revealed that new information had surfaced, influencing their stance. However, he clarified that the details of this information would remain confidential. "No, I’m not going to, as I’ve said, there has been new information which has come to light. I can’t disclose that information, but it does affect whether or not I would want to seek reconsideration of the request to disqualify,” Kaufman told the newspaper.
Additionally, Kaufman vehemently denied any claims linking Duterte to the alleged destruction of key evidence in the drug war, despite comments from Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla. Remulla had previously suggested that crucial evidence had been destroyed, which led to the transfer of jurisdiction to the ICC.
The court’s case against Duterte continues to gather momentum, as the ICC recently submitted over 1,000 new pieces of evidence to support its accusations. These items were categorized into 1,062 pieces of evidence, further solidifying the case.
Duterte was arrested in Manila on March 11 under an ICC-issued warrant, before being swiftly transported to The Hague, Netherlands. He faces charges for his role in thousands of deaths linked to his controversial anti-drug campaign between 2016 and 2022.
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