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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Drug war victims' lawyers stay as ICC rejects Duterte's disqualification bid

Drug war victims' lawyers stay as ICC rejects Duterte's disqualification bid

Published Feb 21, 2026 06:41 am
Former president Rodrigo Duterte (ICC Photo)
Former president Rodrigo Duterte (ICC Photo)
The International Criminal Court (ICC) Pre-Trial Chamber I has rejected the bid of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s defense team to disqualify the external legal representatives of victims ahead of the confirmation of charges hearing.
In a decision dated Feb. 20, 2026, the Chamber denied the Defense’s request seeking the removal of lawyers Joel Butuyan and Gilbert Andres as common legal representatives of participating victims.
The Chamber found no sufficient legal basis to revoke their appointment.
The Defense had argued that there was an “impediment to representation” and alleged conflict of interest involving a member of the victims’ legal team.
It asked the court to suspend the lawyers’ access to the case record and effectively disqualify them from continuing to represent victims in the proceedings.
But the judges ruled that the provisions cited by the Defense, particularly Article 12 of the ICC Code of Professional Conduct, apply to counsel and not to non-counsel members of a legal team, such as case managers.
The Chamber also said the alleged conflict of interest was not substantiated and remained speculative.
It noted that the Prosecution had likewise informed the court that it would not rely on the matter raised by the Defense at the confirmation stage or at trial.
“Accordingly, the Chamber rejects the Defence request,” the decision stated.
The ruling means Butuyan and Andres will remain as common legal representatives of the 539 victims authorized to participate in the confirmation proceedings.
Earlier, the Chamber had allowed 500 additional applicants to join the case, bringing the total number of participating victims at the confirmation stage to 539.
The confirmation of charges hearing against Duterte is set from Feb. 23 to 27 at the ICC headquarters in The Hague.
The proceedings will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to establish substantial grounds to believe that Duterte, arrested in March last year, committed the crimes against humanity charges against him, and whether the case should proceed to trial.
Duterte is currently detained at the ICC Detention Centre in Scheveningen, The Netherlands, and is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond any reasonable doubt.

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ICC President Duterte Rodrigo Duterte
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