March 24 ------ The Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has ordered both the prosecution and the defense teams in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s case to disclose evidence by next month, ahead of the scheduled confirmation of charges hearing in September.
In an order dated March 21, the Pre-Trial Chamber has ordered both the prosecution and defense to disclose the amount and types of evidence they plan to present, along with the prescribed timeline. The prosecution is ordered to submit by April 4, 2025 information on the overall number of written pieces of evidence, if it intends to rely upon other non-written pieces of documentary evidence, and how many witnesses and witness statements are to be provided, among others. It is also tasked to present how it intends to request protective measures for potential witnesses, and if it will continue with the investigation on Duterte and how this would impact the disclosure process.
For Duterte’s team, they will have until April 11, 2025 to submit their observations on the information that the prosecution will submit. They will also have to answer whether they will present evidence and call on their own witnesses during the confirmation hearing. Regarding the participation of victims, the ICC has given the Registry until April 2, 2025 to file observations in relation to the victims’ applications for participation, including on the admission process, the proof of identity documents, and legal representation in the present proceedings. Camps will have until April 11, 2025 to respond.
Police records show that deaths under the drug war reached 6,000, but human rights groups contend that these were as much as 30,000, including vigilante killings. Duterte, who repeatedly said he will accept full legal responsibility for the consequences of his bloody campaign against illegal drugs, was brought to The Hague in The Netherlands earlier this month to be tried for crimes against humanity. One of his legal counsel, lawyer Nicholas Kaufman, said Duterte is being “illegally detained” and should be brought back to the Philippines “as soon as possible.”
For her part, Duterte’s daughter Vice President Sara Duterte said that her father has started to adjust to being detained, he is still closely monitoring the campaigns in the Philippines ahead of the midterm elections in May. “Okay naman siya, nagtatanong lang siya sa mga timelines kasi nga malapit na ‘yung election at tinatanong niya kung ano ang nangyayari sa kampanya ng mga senador at tinatanong niya kung papaano siya makakabalik dahil nga meron din siyang eleksyon sa Davao City,” she said in a report on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend” on Sunday.
The younger Duterte last week said that the nation should now move forward, as there is a possibility that her father will not be coming back to the Philippines following his arrest.
Source: gmanetwork.com
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