Allies of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday that recent developments involving International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan are “divine intervention” that could lead to Duterte’s release.

Benito Ranque, a convenor of the Return Duterte Movement, said a second allegation of sexual misconduct and US sanctions against Khan make it unlikely he will resume his role as chief prosecutor.

Khan has temporarily stepped down from his duties while an internal investigation is underway. He is also the subject of a disqualification bid by Duterte’s legal team, which argues that his past work as a victim representative compromises the fairness of the investigation against the former President.

The ICC Appeals Chamber has not yet issued a final ruling on that request.

In June, a US government executive order authorized sanctions against ICC officials, including Khan and Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang, who is acting as the lead prosecutor in Duterte’s case.

The sanctions, which were imposed by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, freeze any assets in US jurisdiction and bar financial dealings and travel.

The ICC denounced the sanctions as “a flagrant attack on judicial independence.”

Duterte, who is being held at an ICC facility on charges of crimes against humanity, was arrested in August after a trial chamber rejected his request for interim release. Niang had opposed the request, citing statements and actions by Duterte and his family that suggested he would not accept the legitimacy of the legal proceedings or appear at trial.

Niang cited video of Duterte’s wife, Honeylet Avanceña, hitting an arresting officer with her phone, as well as repeated claims by Duterte’s family and lawyers that he was “kidnapped” or “abducted.”