The confirmation of charges hearing for former president Rodrigo Duterte’s crimes against humanity charges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands will run for four days—from Sept. 23 to 26.
ICC sets schedule of hearings for Duterte's case this September
Former president Rodrigo Duterte (ICC Photo)
Information found on the ICC’s website showed that the former chief executive will start at 9:30 a.m. (Netherlands time) on Sept. 23. The same time has been set for Sept. 24, 25, and 26 at the ICC’s Courtroom 1.
The hearing will be livestreamed on the ICC’s website, but with a 30-minute delay to protect sensitive information about the case.
During the confirmation of charges hearing, the prosecution and defense will spend 30 minutes each for their opening statements and another 30 minutes for their closing statements.
They are also expected to spend three to four hours for addressing the legal issues of the case.
Office of Public Counsel for Victims (OPCV) Principal Counsel Paolina Massidda, whose office represents the victims of Duterte’s alleged bloody war on drugs policy during his presidency, has also requested for 30 minutes each for its opening and closing statements.
“She also submits that 2 hours is an appropriate time for the Common Legal Representative(s) to present on the merits of the case and on the extent of the victimi(z)ation suffered by the victims,” the document dated Aug. 25 said.
The confirmation of charges hearing is a critical pre-trial phase that will determine whether the case against the former president will proceed to trial.
Nicholas Kaufman, Duterte’s lead counsel, earlier explained that the prosecution must convince the judges during the hearing “that there are substantial grounds to believe that the suspect, in this case, the former president, committed the crimes which the prosecution alleges he committed.”