Philippine ex-president Duterte attorneys will not provide witnesses at September ICC hearing

Asian Financial Daily
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August 1, 2025

Manila – Previous Head of state Rodrigo Duterte’s protection group will certainly validate on September 23 that it will certainly prevent “advancement notification” of prosecution throughout the test.

Duterte’s group divulged this details in a July 24 entry documents, which was made versus orders from the pre-trial chamber on March 21 and April 17, which needed monitorings associated with verification of the verification hearing, which is set up for September.

” The protection will certainly not call witnesses to affirm at the verification hearing. This is a choice in concept since there is little reliability at the verification time,” stated Nicholas Kaufman, Duterte’s lead consultant.

” Furthermore, the protection does not intend to notify numerous prospective protection witnesses beforehand, they would certainly challenge the proof given by the distinct and meticulously picked witness band of the prosecution, computed by the fingers of one hand [REDACTED] THAT [REDACTED] Straight costs Mr. Duterte [REDACTED],” it included.

No “alibi’

For the very same factor, Duterte’s protection group stated it would certainly additionally “provid no written proof in the verification, enabling the prosecution to examine its examination appropriately if the claims are validated.”

Duterte’s attorneys would certainly not present “abibi” to the pretrial chamber, neither would certainly they make “factors for omitting criminal obligation under Write-up 31 of the Roman Laws.”

According to Post 31 of the Roman Laws, a private will not be held criminally responsible if she or he struggles with mental disorder, revels for psychological loss, acts in protection, or undergoes threat in case of a criminal offense.

According to the record, the protection will just give “record proof” at the verification hearing.

Approach for extra details

Aide to Kristina Conti, a lawyer for the International Bad Guy Court (ICC), stated Duterte’s lawyer might be waiting for extra details regarding the instance, considering its previous demand to delay the choice on momentary launches and difficult territories.

” The protection has the opportunity to develop its very own technique, and in the context of various other papers … it appears they are waiting on various other secret information. Now, we can not consider their relevance or relevance, yet it will certainly be essential to us if the protection values it,” Conti informed detectives.

She additionally kept in mind that throughout the verification of the costs hearing, the Protection Group had the ability to be easy since the prosecution would certainly give its proof to reveal that the instance had a factor to test.

” Technically, no suit has actually been submitted versus Duterte, although he thinks on practical premises that he dedicated criminal offenses versus mankind and murder, and so on

She included: “When validating the claims hearing, the district attorney will certainly provide or summarize his instance, considering that it is essential to perform a test. On the various other hand, the protection will certainly state there is no instance whatsoever.”

Implicit admission?

Neri Colmenares, a legal representative that acts as a legal representative for households of targets of the medication battle, stated the protection group’s choice “simply reveals that no person will certainly affirm under vow that Head of state Duterte was not associated with the medication and murders in the medication battle.”

Duterte picked not to make any type of premises for omitting criminal obligation under Write-up 31( c) of the Roman Laws, and Duterte made “real acknowledgment that he was accountable for the battle on medications and the murders it triggered”.

” Write-up 31 gives the offender a protection that the criminal offenses butted in the instance are past the control of Head of state Duterte, or that the criminal offenses were dedicated by one more individual,” Colmenares stated in a declaration.

He included: “This verifies our forecasts that Head of state Duterte had no proof throughout his test that he would certainly confirm that he had absolutely nothing to do with his regime as head of state and emperors throughout his six-year regime.”

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