Vice President Sara Duterte accused the International Criminal Court (ICC) of being a political instrument controlled by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, while alleging corruption within the court’s probe into her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Addressing supporters near the ICC headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands, the Vice President cited claims that former Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co used alleged bagmen to deliver converted dollar funds to ICC investigators through Trillanes.
Duterte insisted these assertions were grounded in firsthand testimony from individuals who reportedly carried out the instructions, rather than hearsay.
Trillanes, who filed a complaint against former President Duterte in 2017, previously denied allegations that Co sent him $2 million intended for ICC personnel.
”Ang ICC ay tuta ni Trillanes at ni Marcos,” the Vice President said.
“This is not about justice. This is about politics in the Philippines,” Duterte said regarding the ICC proceedings over drug war fatalities.
Duterte further claimed that the ICC “has no other case” outside of the Philippine probe and suggested court figures were influenced by political actors and financial motives.
However, official records from the ICC list multiple active cases across various stages, including one awaiting trial, another set for a September judgment, one under appeal, and nine others in pre-trial while suspects remain at large.
The tribunal operates under the governance of the Assembly of States Parties, an elected body of judges and state representatives that handles legislative oversight and approves its annual operational budget.