Sara says ICC authorityover Rody being challenged
‘The doctor is monitoring what he eats and keeping track of his weight. I trust the doctor, so if he says he’s okay, then he’s okay.’
Vice President Sara Duterte revealed over the weekend that the legal team of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, has filed a motion before the International Criminal Court (ICC) contesting its authority to pursue the case against him.
Speaking before members of the Filipino community in Kuwait, Duterte explained her father’s defense. “They filed a motion questioning the court’s jurisdiction over the case of former President Rodrigo Duterte,” she said in Filipino.
“What they’re saying is simple: You conducted an investigation, but it was beyond the one-year period allowed for you to do so. A year had already passed before you even began investigating. So now, it’s no longer valid,” she added.
The former chief executive was arrested on 11 March in Manila over allegations of crimes against humanity linked to his anti-drug campaign — both during his presidency and his tenure as Davao City mayor.
The former president is currently held at the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague.
According to government data, at least 6,000 suspects died in police operations tied to the drug war. Human rights advocates, however, assert that the true toll could be as high as 30,000, citing cases that were not officially recorded.
The Vice President further argued that without a clear investigative time frame, an accused could be subjected to inquiries indefinitely.
Her remarks came after her father’s legal team also asked the ICC Appeals Chamber to bar Prosecutor Karim Khan (see related story) from handling the case, claiming he “failed to disclose a grievous conflict of interest.”
She assured supporters that her father remains in stable health, though visibly thinner than before. “This is the thinnest I’ve ever seen him in my entire life,” she said.
“The doctor is monitoring what he eats and keeping track of his weight. I trust the doctor, so if he says he’s okay, then he’s okay,” she added.
In July, the court granted Duterte’s plea to temporarily suspend its ruling on his request for interim release until his defense could provide supporting evidence.