There is still no confirmation of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla said on Tuesday.
“Alleged pa rin siya hanggang ngayon. Pero as far as I'm concerned, wala pa ako nakikitang formal copy of a warrant of arrest or request for an arrest from the ICC,” Remulla said during a Palace briefing.
“So just to make it clear, neither the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) nor the DILG, PNP (Philippine National Police), or the Center for Transnational Crimes have received a formal copy of the warrant of arrest,” he added.
Remulla acknowledged that several individuals have claimed to have seen a copy of the alleged ICC warrant, but stressed that no official document has been furnished to his office.
“There are several people who claimed to have seen a copy but the formal copy has not been yet shown to us,” he said.
Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV earlier said that Dela Rosa and four other former high-ranking police officials were tagged as suspects in the ICC investigation into the war on drugs under former President Rodrigo Duterte, for alleged crimes against humanity. Trillanes is among those who filed complaints before the ICC.
Dela Rosa served as chief of the Philippine National Police during the implementation of the drug war.
Earlier, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, who previously served as justice secretary, said the ICC had reportedly issued a warrant against Dela Rosa, claiming he had seen an unofficial copy.
Meanwhile, Dela Rosa’s counsel, Atty. Israelito Torreon, has maintained that the Philippine government has no legal basis to surrender any citizen to an international tribunal due to the absence of governing rules on the process.
Dela Rosa has been absent from Senate sessions for nearly two months following reports that an ICC arrest warrant had been issued against him.