MANILA, Philippines — If the Philippines were to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) regarding the interim release of former President Rodrigo Duterte, it could open up other issues, such as the potential freezing of his assets, a Palace official said.
Speaking at a briefing on Thursday, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro reiterated that the Philippines government still does not recognize the jurisdiction of the international court.
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There is also no application for interim release of Duterte as of posting time.
Reacting to ICC spokesperson Dr. Fadi El Abdallah’s statement that the Philippines must meet certain technical requirements for the judges to approve the former president’s potential interim release, Castro warned it could backfire on Duterte’s camp.
“With that, does it mean that we have to recognize that ICC has jurisdiction over the Philippines? I believe the family of former President Duterte is asking and praying from the Supreme Court that the government should not cooperate with the ICC,” Castro recalled.
“Mahirap po kasi na sasabihin natin—although, that’s hypothetical, sasabihin natin na makikipag-cooperate tayo sa ICC pagdating po sa interim release dahil lahat po ng isyu diyan ay mabubuksan. Mabubuksan din po kung magkakaroon ng freeze order sa kaniyang mga assets,” she continued.
(It’s difficult to say that we would cooperate with the ICC on the interim release because, even though it’s hypothetical, it could open up all related issues, including the possibility of a freeze order on his assets.)
Asked whether Duterte’s possible interim release is a no-go as far as the Philippine government is concerned, she replied, “Though it’s hypothetical, but as we speak now, we do not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC over the Philippines.”
In an exclusive interview with GMA Integrated News, Abdallah noted that Duterte’s interim release needs to be discussed with the judges.
“As a matter of general principle, all these conditions and questions need to be discussed before the judges,” he said.
“The technical measures and conditions have to be decided on a case-by-case basis by the judges and have to be accepted by a certain state for it to be ordered by the judges,” he added.
READ: Palace on Duterte’s arrest: Nothing personal
Duterte was arrested at thje Ninoy Aquino International Airport on March 11 and was flown on the same day to The Hague, Netherlands, where he is currently being held pending his trial for crimes against humanity allegedly committed during his administration’s drug war.
The former president had his pretrial hearing on March 14, while his confirmation of charges is scheduled for September 23.