Metro Manila, Philippines — The International Criminal Court (ICC) has a way of vetting documents in its investigations, especially in the bloody Duterte drug war where the Philippine government has refused cooperation, a former senator said on Monday, Nov. 4.
In an interview with NewsWatch Plus on Monday, Nov. 4, Sonny Trillanes said the ICC does not need certified true copies of documents.
“[P]repared sila na ang isang gobyerno hindi miyembro nila, hindi cooperative or even hostile,” said the former senator, who filed a complaint against the drug war before the ICC. “They have different ways to validate documents at iba pang ebidensya na ibinigay sa kanila.”
[Translation: It is prepared in instances where a government is not a member of the court, uncooperative, or even hostile. They have different ways to validate documents and other pieces of evidence given to them.]
Trillanes said the ICC is at the end-stage of its investigation, with the warrant of arrest supposedly to be released early next year.
Sen. Bato dela Rosa, on the other hand, questioned Trillanes’ move to submit transcripts from congressional hearings to the ICC.
Natransmit na po ngayon sa ICC ang transcript ng Senate hearing kung saan maraming inamin si evil duts tungkol sa EJK. The pertinent Quad Comm transcripts were transmitted early on and all were duly received. Lahat ng ito ay magagamit sa trial later on.
— Sonny Trillanes IV (@TrillanesSonny) October 30, 2024
“I’m not concerned, ang tanong lang saan siya kumuha ng authority para makapag-transmit ng official transcript of records sa House of Representatives?” Dela Rosa said.
[Translation: I’m not concerned. But the question is, Where did Trillanes get authority to transmit the official transcript of records from the House of Representatives?]
Both chambers of Congress have mounted public hearings into alleged extrajudicial killings during the drug war. Critics said revelations in the House quad committee, as well as former President Rodrigo Duterte’s admission in a recent Senate hearing were incriminating evidence.
The ICC earlier told NewsWatch Plus that its Office of the Prosecutor “follows developments in the Philippines closely, as to their relevance for its ongoing investigation.”
