After a ruling against her father, detained former President Rodrigo Duterte, Vice President Sara Duterte accused the International Criminal Court of being ‘biased’. She described the ICC as a political court rather than one of justice. Pre-trial proceedings against Duterte will resume in late February.
In an interview posted on vlogger Alvin and Tourism’s Facebook page, Vice President Sara Duterte stated that if the ICC has pre-judged her father Rodrigo Duterte’s case, they would pre-judge the ICC as a biased political court. ‘It is not a court of justice,’ she said. The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I issued a 25-page decision the previous day, unanimously denying the defense’s request to indefinitely adjourn proceedings due to Duterte’s alleged cognitive impairment. This relied on reports from an independent panel of medical experts, who found Duterte fit to participate with certain assistance measures.
The decision referenced family statements, but Sara argued these are not a legal basis and the court should stick to facts, not jokes or book quotes. ‘Let’s not trust the ICC anymore,’ she said, urging focus on moral support for her father given his age.
The ICC has scheduled four days of confirmation of charges hearings against Duterte in late February: Feb. 23 opens with charge reading, victim and defense opening statements, and prosecution submissions; followed by sessions on Feb. 24, 26, and 27 for further submissions, closing statements, and a detention review on Feb. 27. Confirmation would move the case to a trial chamber.
Sara declined to comment on calls to replace lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman, who plans to appeal the ruling, saying she forgot about him and would ask her father. She dismissed concerns for Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa’s hiding as not a worst-case scenario since he is healthy. Meanwhile, her brother, Rep. Paolo Duterte, accused senators of selective mourning, heroizing extrajudicial killing victims while forgetting the SAF 44 who died in action.
