Medialdea questions Duterte’s layover in Dubai

Former President Rodrigo Duterte is seen on a screen in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court (ICC) with his lawyer Salvador Medialdea seated left, in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

MANILA, Philippines — Former President Rodrigo Duterte’s counsel Salvador Medialdea on Friday questioned the legality of the former leader’s layover in Dubai before he arrived in The Hague, Netherlands, stressing that the emirate is not a state party to the Rome Statute that created the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The chartered plane carrying Duterte from Manila to The Hague made a brief stop in Dubai for a layover.

“The UAE [United Arab Emirates] is not a state party to the ICC and has no obligation to cooperate with the court, yet my client sat in transit in that country for more than five hours,” Medialdea said in a manifestation during Duterte’s pre-trial hearing at the ICC on Friday.

“I invite the registries representative to present today in court to explain to the judges exactly how they believe this transfer was anything other than a gross abuse of process,” he added.

Medialdea also claimed that the ICC and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. struck an “unlikely alliance” in arresting former Duterte.

READ: ICC sets Duterte confirmation of charges hearing Sept. 23

Duterte arrived in the Netherlands on Wednesday night (Manila time) and was turned over to the ICC Detention Center in Scheveningen, The Hague.

He was the subject of an arrest warrant by the ICC over crimes against humanity allegedly committed in the Philippines between November 1, 2011, and March 16, 2019.

In an address several hours after Duterte’s arrest, Marcos clarified that the development was not an act of political persecution.

He pointed out that the case against Duterte was initiated in 2017—the year when the Philippines was still a member of the ICC and Duterte was still in power.

“So, I don’t see how that can be political persecution on my part because it was initiated before I came into the picture,” Marcos said.

“Once again, we have to recognize that, of course, it’s natural for people to put… political color, but we just followed Interpol,” he added in a mix of English and Filipino.