Govt agrees to comply if Interpol seeks Duterte’s arrest


The government said it would not stand in the way if former president Rodrigo Duterte wants to surrender to the International Criminal Court (ICC), and would be obliged to comply if his arrest was sought over his war on drugs.

During a congressional hearing yesterday into the bloody crackdown on narcotics that killed thousands of Filipinos, the mercurial Duterte said he was not scared of the ICC and told it to “hurry up” on its investigation into his possible crimes against humanity.

The office of the current president Ferdinand Marcos Jr issued a statement hours later indicating it would be willing to consider handing Duterte over if an Interpol request was made.

“The government will feel obliged to consider the red notice as a request to be honoured, in which case the domestic law enforcement agencies shall be bound to accord full cooperation,” the president’s executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said.

The statement was significant, marking the first time the Philippine government has suggested it would cooperate with the ICC, which last year cleared the way for an investigation into the bloody campaign that defined Duterte’s 2016-2022 presidency.

Duterte when president unilaterally withdrew the Philippines from the ICC in March 2019 after it opened a preliminary examination of the killings.

The court has said its prosecutors have jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed before the withdrawal.

In the statement, Bersamin said the government would neither object nor block Duterte if he wished to surrender. — Reuters

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
   

Next In Aseanplus News

Cricket-ICC in talks with boards over non-payment of T20 World Cup dues to players
Talks spotlight cyberbullying in Brunei schools
Vietnam looks to restart nuclear power projects
Future Lao legal practitioners welcome Japan International Cooperation Agency experts’ lecture
Free condoms, HIV testing for public during Cambodian Water Festival
Late Mandopop diva Coco Lee’s grave falls into disrepair after just one year, leaving fans heartbroken
Malaysia, Singapore sign MOU to combat cross-border crime
Quiboloy undergoes more medical tests at Philippine Children’s hospital, says police
Three-day series of events to mark two years of Madani Govt
Chiang Mai flights cancelled, rescheduled for lantern festival

Others Also Read