Drug victims’ camp unfazed by pro-Rody ICC evidence
'You won’t see the mastermind or the person who gave the order at the crime scene, but he was the one who gave the order.'
'You won’t see the mastermind or the person who gave the order at the crime scene, but he was the one who gave the order.'
The camp of drug war victims remained confident Sunday that its case against former President Rodrigo Duterte was strong despite International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutors disclosing 57 potentially exonerating pieces of evidence.
Atty. Kristina Conti, an ICC-accredited assistant to counsel, said the disclosure did not concern them, noting that exonerating evidence could include testimonies showing Duterte was not physically present at crime scenes.
Conti said such evidence could be offset by evidence showing Duterte’s responsibility for killings through orders to police.
“You won’t see the mastermind or the person who gave the order at the crime scene, but he was the one who gave the order,” she said in a radio interview.
Of 6,909 evidence items disclosed to Duterte’s defense, 57 were classified as potentially exonerating material, 2,279 as incriminating and 4,573 as general case preparation materials.
The disclosure came three months before the trial, scheduled for 30 November.
Conti said ICC prosecutors are required to disclose both incriminating and exculpatory evidence under the court’s inquisitorial system.
Duterte, 81, faces three counts of crimes against humanity of murder involving 78 alleged victims, including six children, from 2013 to 2018.
The ICC’s next pretrial conference is scheduled 16 September, when Duterte’s fitness to stand trial may also be discussed.
