The Hague, Netherlands – The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said its investigations and prosecutions are financed solely through the court’s approved budget, pushing back against allegations of payoffs to investigators linked to the case of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
In a statement sent to NewsWatch Plus, the prosecutor’s office said all its activities are funded through the ICC’s budget as approved by the Assembly of States Parties and subject to established oversight mechanisms.
“The costs related to OTP prosecutions and investigations activities, including missions’ expenses, are fully covered by this budget,” the office said, adding that funds are managed independently and transparently in accordance with ICC financial rules and regulations.
The Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) also stressed that it independently collects information relevant to its investigations, identifies witnesses and sources, and assesses the credibility, reliability and relevance of all information it receives. It said it examines incriminating and exonerating evidence equally.
Disclosure of information in cases before the court is strictly regulated under the ICC’s legal framework and remains under the control of independent ICC judges, the statement said.
The statement was issued amid controversy following confirmation by Ombudsman Boying Remulla that he met with ICC personnel to discuss protection for Filipino witnesses in the crimes against humanity case against Duterte.
Remulla said former senator Antonio Trillanes introduced him to two ICC personnel around a year ago, when he was still justice secretary. He said the meeting focused on ensuring the safety of Filipino witnesses, who he noted are under the jurisdiction of Philippine authorities.
Lawyer Levito Baligod has accused Remulla of committing graft over the meeting, alleging it caused undue damage to the government. Baligod recently led the submission of a joint affidavit of 18 former Marines claiming that a former lawmaker instructed them to distribute suitcases of cash to certain personalities.
The ICC prosecutor’s office reiterated that its investigations are conducted independently, confidentially and within the bounds of its legal mandate and court-approved budget.
