Metro Manila, Philippines – The International Criminal Court (ICC) has finalized the line-up of medical experts who will check former President Rodrigo Duterte’s fitness to stand trial.
In a filing dated Nov. 14, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I set Dec. 5 as the new deadline for the submission of the findings on Duterte’s fitness.
The new deadline came after two doctors of the three-member panel that will conduct the examination of Duterte were replaced.
While their names were redacted, it was Duterte’s defense that wanted the revocation of the appointment of one of the members as she had an “active and ongoing suspension in [REDACTED] by her professional regulatory body and [REDACTED].”
The defense camp also asserted that the other expert had “‘pervasive and prolific’ social media posts that, ‘if attributable to [REDACTED]’, ‘demonstrate this practitioner’s manifest lack of professionalism, respectability, and suitability to provide expertise at the International Criminal Court.’”
The prosecution then sought the revocation as well.
The ICC Registry has been directed to revoke their access to documents they were already provided.
The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I postponed Duterte’s confirmation of charges hearing after the defense camp alleged that the former Philippine president is suffering from “significant cognitive deficiencies.”
Duterte was detained in the ICC in March due to alleged crimes against humanity in relation to the bloody war on drugs, which killed at least 6,000 individuals.
