Duterte prone to flee, evade ICC cooperation if launched – prosecution, victims’ reps

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Victims’ lawyer Joel Butuyan says that Rodrigo Duterte ‘clearly demonstrated that he’ll abscond from the jurisdiction of the courtroom’

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – With former president Rodrigo Duterte approaching one yr in detention on the Worldwide Felony Courtroom (ICC), the prosecution and victims’ representatives through the pre-trial stage objected to his interim launch, pointing to the unlikelihood of his adhering to situations and cooperating with the courtroom.

The ICC pre-trial chamber I on Friday, February 27, held its first annual assessment of Duterte’s detention, which the previous president had the precise to attend however selected to not. It was the identical determination he made for his four-day affirmation of costs listening to, which concluded minutes earlier than his detention listening to.

Prosecution trial lawyer Julian Nicholls mentioned that the doc Duterte signed, which waived his proper to attend his affirmation of costs listening to in particular person, was a brand new circumstance that goes towards granting him interim launch.

In a waiver dated February 18, Duterte had mentioned he didn’t want to attend the affirmation of costs hearings, whether or not in particular person or by way of video hyperlink, together with his first purpose being that he didn’t acknowledge the courtroom’s jurisdiction. He claimed he was “forcibly pushed right into a jet,” and that his arrest was “kidnapping.”

“None of [this] sounds as if these are the phrases of an individual who would return voluntarily to the courtroom,” mentioned Nicholls. “If he was granted interim launch, and your Honors had, inside your energy, ordered him to attend, it will have been very troublesome to make that occur if he merely confirmed the identical disrespect and didn’t want to attend even by means of video hyperlink.”

The widespread authorized representatives of the victims (CLRV) had the same submission, pointing to the waiver as a danger issue. Filipino CLRV lawyer Joel Butuyan mentioned that Duterte “clearly demonstrated that he’ll abscond from the jurisdiction of the courtroom.”

“If Mr. Duterte can not even conceal his contempt for this honorable courtroom whereas he’s already below detention, think about how Mr. Duterte will use this contempt for the courtroom if he’s launched,” mentioned Butuyan, including that Duterte remained a flight danger.

Duterte likely to flee, evade ICC cooperation if released – prosecution, victims’ reps

Huge help

Butuyan pointed to a different latest growth, which they argue made Duterte’s interim launch dangerous — his supporters’ submission of a petition with the Philippine Supreme Courtroom (SC), urging it to concern the writ of habeas corpus that may power the return of Duterte to the Philippines.

Butuyan cited a BusinessMirror article that reported the petition had over 160,000 signatures.

“This present of help proves the stark actuality that if Mr. Duterte is launched from detention, there’s a large danger that his supporters will discover methods and means to facilitate his surreptitious return to the Philippines with the intention to free him from this courtroom’s jurisdiction,” he mentioned.

The CLRV additionally referred to Duterte’s youngsters submitting separate submissions to the SC, urging it to declare that his arrest was unconstitutional and violative of worldwide legislation.

“Because the proceedings advance, the suspect’s incentive to flee will increase,” Butuyan mentioned.

Because the ICC judges declared Duterte match for trial, Butuyan mentioned that his capability to know and take part “implies a capability to evaluate his scenario and act upon it, together with the potential for absconding.”

With Duterte nonetheless interesting an earlier rejected request for interim launch, lead protection counsel Nicholas Kaufman mentioned that the group is not going to oppose Duterte’s continued detention.

The pre-trial chamber earlier rejected Duterte’s request for interim launch in a choice on October 10, 2025, seeing all three danger components had been current: fleeing from the case, intimidating witnesses, and recommitting the crimes he’s accused of.

Inside 60 days of the affirmation of costs listening to, the chamber is predicted to launch its determination on whether or not Duterte will proceed to trial.