ICC denies collusion with Marcos admin over Duterte case

The Hague, Netherlands - The International Criminal Court (ICC) has rejected claims that it is colluding with the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the case of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

In an exclusive interview with NewsWatch Plus, ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah emphasized the court’s independence, noting that its judges “are elected for a mandate of nine years that is not renewable” and are tasked with delivering justice without political influence.

“These judges will only deliver justice. They don’t take any political considerations into account when they are deliberating about important judicial matters,” he said.

The remarks come amid continued criticism from Duterte’s family, especially Vice President Sara Duterte, who has repeatedly accused the ICC of collusion.

In July, she claimed the court “kidnapped” her father, and reiterated her accusations during a rally in Nagoya, Japan.

“Alam ng ICC na ganyan ang estado ng kaso. Pero pinilit pa rin nilang kunin si dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte. Hindi na nila makuha ‘yun eh. Pero ano nangyari? Binigay siya ng administrasyon ni Marcos. Ginamit, nagkuntsaba ang ICC at ang administrasyon ni BBM. Gamitan tayo dito,” she said.

[Translation: The ICC knew the state of the case. But they still insisted on taking former President Rodrigo Duterte. They couldn’t have him otherwise. So what happened? He was handed over by the Marcos administration. The ICC and the BBM administration colluded. They used us here.]

“Kailangan ninyo ng kaso. Kailangan namin palayasin yan dito kasi talong-talo na kami sa politika. Naggamitan sila,” she added.

Translation: You need a case. We had to remove him here because we are losing in politics. They used us.]

Duterte is facing crimes against humanity charges, including involvement in the killings of at least 76 people during his tenure as mayor of Davao City and as president. Charges cite targeted killings and so-called “clearance operations” from 2013 to 2018. Duterte denies authorizing extrajudicial killings and is currently held at an ICC facility in the Netherlands following his March arrest.

The ICC has not yet set a new date for the confirmation of charges hearing, which will determine whether the case moves to trial.