MANILA, Philippines — Efforts to undermine the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) or to secure the temporary freedom of former president Rodrigo Duterte will likely fail, a lawyer representing drug war victims said. Kristina Conti said Duterte's legal team is expected to mount its defense aimed at undermining the court's jurisdiction or securing his temporary release are almost certain to fail. But the ICC, which ruled in 2023 that it retains jurisdiction despite the Philippines' withdrawal from the Rome Statute, has been firm on its legal footing. "Withdrawal from the ICC does not erase the court's power to investigate crimes committed while a country was still a member. The acts in question happened while the Philippines was under the court's jurisdiction." Any attempt to rehash the jurisdiction issue, she noted, would not only be legally weak but also perceived as an attempt to delay justice. Read Full Story
