The camp of former President Rodrigo Duterte has informed the International Criminal Court (ICC) that the Philippine government is unlikely to oppose a ruling granting him temporary release while he faces charges over his bloody war on drugs.
In a filing before ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I, defense lawyer Nicholas Kaufman cited remarks from Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro, who earlier said the Marcos administration would respect whatever decision the court makes on Duterte’s request for interim liberty.
According to Kaufman, the possibility of Duterte’s temporary release is “now contemplated without objection by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, which surrendered Mr. Duterte to the International Criminal Court.”
Castro’s statement came after Vice President Sara Duterte revealed that a foreign government had agreed to host her father should the ICC approve the request. She did not disclose the country’s identity, clarifying only that it was not Japan. Australia, a country she recently visited, had already declared it would not accept the former president.
Duterte’s lawyers first sought interim release in June, arguing that the 80-year-old former leader is neither a flight risk nor a threat to the ongoing investigation. They insisted his continued detention was unnecessary “to ensure the integrity of the investigations or to preclude the continued commission of crimes.”
The former president has been in ICC custody in The Hague since March 13, awaiting trial for crimes against humanity linked to alleged abuses during his anti-drug campaign, both as Davao City mayor and later as chief executive.
His confirmation of charges hearing, originally set for September 23, was postponed indefinitely after his legal team claimed he was “not fit to stand trial.”