The International Criminal Court (ICC) has made public the request of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s camp for an “indefinite adjournment” or long-term suspension of all legal proceedings.
The defense claims this is due to Duterte’s alleged “cognitive impairment” or memory problems, which they say can no longer be treated.
His lawyers argue that no further medical examination is necessary, as they have already submitted sufficient medical records to the ICC’s pre-trial chamber. They add that evaluations conducted by Duterte’s two personal physicians and a neuropsychologist from the ICC Detention Center should be enough.
According to an unnamed doctor, Duterte now struggles to comprehend certain information and is unable to make decisions. The doctor also noted that the former president can no longer recall events from 2011 to 2019—the period under ICC investigation for killings in Davao City during his time as mayor and the bloody war on drugs during his presidency.
Meanwhile, the public version of the documents has redacted details of Duterte’s medical test results, which reportedly include a Computed Tomography (CT) scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and other medical examinations.
DUTERTE CAMP ASKS ICC FOR “INDEFINITE ADJOURNMENT” DUE TO COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT
