Chances of Duterte going home sans ICC ruling are slim, says expert

Rodrigo Duterte —SCREEN GRAB FROM ICC

MANILA, Philippines — The chances of former President Rodrigo Duterte going home while facing the charges before the International Criminal Court (ICC) are slim, said an ICC-accredited lawyer on Friday.

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“I don’t think makakabalik pa siya. Until magkaroon ng ruling ng ICC kasi nasa jurisdiction ng ICC. So it’s going to be the ICC which is going to say kung babalik siya o hindi,” said Atty. Joel Butuyan, who was invited to a Palace press conference.

(I don’t think he will be able to return. It depends on the ruling of the ICC because it is under the jurisdiction of the ICC. So, it will be the ICC that will decide whether he can return or not.)

“So it’s either ma-dismiss yung kaso or magbibigyan siya ng interim release na papupuntahin siya dito which I think is very slim,” he added.

(So, it’s either the case will be dismissed, or he will be granted an interim release allowing him to be sent here, which I think is very unlikely.)

Asked if the current appeals being tackled by the Supreme Court would be able to return Duterte while he is facing the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands, Butuyan responded in the negative.

“Moot and academic na siya (it is already moot and academic),” he said.

The ICC currently has custody of former president Duterte after he was arrested and sent to The Hague for crimes against humanity he allegedly committed during his administration’s bloody war against drugs.

Duterte’s war on drugs left at least 6,000 people dead, with human rights groups reporting that at least 20,000 were killed during the former president’s infamous crackdown.

Petitions for habeas corpus challenging his arrest are currently being tackled before the Supreme Court.