DOJ won’t bar arrest warrants vs suspects in ICC ‘drug war’ case

The Philippine government will not block any arrest warrants that the Interpol may issue concerning the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) “drug war” case, Department of Justice (DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Thursday, August 1, 2024. | PHOTO: Official website of Interpol / interpol.int

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government will not block any arrest warrants that the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) may issue concerning the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) “drug war” case, Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said.

Remulla explained on Thursday that while the Philippines is no longer a member of the ICC, it remains a part of Interpol, which facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime control.

“We are not in the business of blocking any movement at Interpol,” the DOJ chief replied when asked what the government will do if Interpol issues arrest warrants on suspects in the ICC drug war case.

READ: Dela Rosa, 4 others now suspects in ICC ‘drug war’ case – Trillanes

“We will study the possibilities of the implications of dealing with Interpol and its partner, but we are not in the business of blocking Interpol’s job, which is to fight international crime,” he added.

Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Oscar Albayalde, former Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief Romeo Caramat Jr., former National Police Commission commissioner Edilberto Leonardo, and former PNP Intelligence Officer Eleazar Mata have been tagged as suspects by the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC, which investigates the Duterte administration’s brutal anti-drug campaign.

Earlier, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said they cannot stop the ICC from investigating people it considers suspects in its drug war case.

Guevarra said the ICC prosecutor can come to the Philippines and interview suspects if required.

READ: PH gov’t can’t stop ICC from probing ‘drug war’ suspects – SolGen

“The Philippine government cannot stop him from proceeding any way he wants. He can directly interview persons of interest online, through phone, by email, face-to-face, subject to the consent of these persons,” Guevarra told reporters on July 30.

“But the ICC prosecutor cannot expect that the Philippine government will facilitate it for him,” he added.