The International Criminal Court (ICC) may be monitoring the ongoing impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte, a lawyer for the drug war victims said Thursday.
ICC assistant to counsel Kristina Conti said testimonies alleging that large sums of suspected drug money flowed into the Duterte family’s accounts could help prosecutors strengthen their case against former President Rodrigo Duterte over killings linked to his war on drugs.
Conti said the developments at the impeachment hearings are “of interest to the ICC,” particularly in establishing a link between the financial transactions and the killings.
“I can assure you that, yes, it’s being monitored, but it’s not closely watched. There’s mild curiosity, at the minimum, about developments in the Philippines,” she said partly in Filipino in a radio interview.
“Because first, it might have an impact on the investigation. Second, they also need to establish the connection of the money to the killings,” she added.
Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV alleged during the House hearing on 22 April that at least P181.6 million was deposited into accounts linked to the Duterte family between 2011 and 2013. Of this, P22.3 million was reportedly deposited into the Vice President Sara Duterte’s account, while P15.7 million went to the former president.
Conti noted that the transactions occurred during the period when killings tied to the anti-drug campaign were “intense” in Davao.
The ICC probe covered incidents from November 2011 to March 2019 and included allegations involving the Davao Death Squad (DDS), a group said to be composed of police officers and hired gunmen.
During the ICC confirmation of charges hearing in February, prosecutors cited testimony from a former DDS member who claimed they received cash rewards for killing drug suspects. Other alleged members were reportedly given salaries through “ghost employee” positions at the Davao City Hall.
Retired police officer Arturo Lascañas, a self-confessed DDS member, had also linked the Vice President to the killings, claiming she initiated operations during her own tenure as Davao mayor. Duterte has denied the allegations.
In April last year, the Vice President confirmed that her name appeared on a list of persons of interest in the ICC probe, although she said other names were ahead of hers, including that of Senators Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Bong Go.
The ICC has yet to indicate whether it will pursue additional charges beyond the case already filed against the former president.