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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider ICC denies Duterte camp's appeal to remove two judges

ICC denies Duterte camp's appeal to remove two judges

Published May 7, 2025 10:54 am
The Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) dismissed the appeal of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s defense team to excuse two judges from ruling on the jurisdiction issue of his case.

Former president Rodrigo Duterte in the custody of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, following his March 11 arrest on a warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity. (Photos from AP, Veronica Duterte)


In a four-page document uploaded to the ICC website and dated on May 6, the Chamber said it hereby “dismisses” the appeal “in limine (at the threshold)."

”The decision read that pursuant to Article 41 of the Rome Statute and Rules 34 and 35 of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence, a judge’s disqualification from ruling on a case “may only be sought by the concerned judge directly before the Presidency, as opposed to disqualification for which the Prosecution or the person being investigated or prosecuted may submit a request before the Presidency.”

“The possibility for that person to invite or request judges to seek excusal before the Presidency is thus not contemplated in the statutory texts. As stated by the Presidency, ‘no preemptive request may be made by the parties that a judge request his or her excusal’ and such course of action ‘lacks procedural propriety’,” the decision added.

The decision is based on the petition filed by Duterte’s defense team last May 1 that challenged the jurisdiction of the ICC on the former president’s crimes against humanity case.

In the same petition, the defense also asked the Chamber to excuse Judge Reine Adélaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou and Judge María del Socorro Flores Liera from ruling on the case “given the possibility of perceived bias.”

The judges previously approved the preliminary investigation against Duterte.

The prosecution opposed the petition on May 5, and asked the Chamber to dismiss the request.

The former president has been detained in The Hague since March 12, and is facing charges of crimes against humanity of murder in relation to his brutal war on drugs campaign when he was president.

Duterte will face the Chamber on Sept. 23 for the confirmation of charges.

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Rodrigo Duterte crimes against humanity ICC judges
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