ICC warrant vs Duterte expected by June — Trillanes
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, a vocal critic of President Rodrigo Duterte, has confirmed going to the US to meet with American officials to talk about enhancing bilateral ties, corruption and human rights. AFP/Noel Celis, File
MANILA, Philippines — Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV anticipates that a warrant for the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte and others linked to the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation will likely be handed in by the international tribunal by June.
The former senator said this in a press conference in Mandaluyong, saying that the warrant may be issued through the Interpol.
“Kung idadaan sa Interpol 'yung warrant of arrest, kahit na hindi tayo miyembro ng ICC pero miyembro tayo ng Interpol. May international agreement tayo,” Trillanes said.
(If the warrant of arrest goes through Interpol, even if we are no longer a member of the ICC, we are still a member of Interpol. We have an international agreement.)
“Ang ICC naman may cooperation agreement kay Interpol kaya pwede silang magpasa ng red notice diyan,” he added.
(The ICC has a cooperation agreement with Interpol so they can pass the red notice to them.)
According to Trillanes, the said warrants of the ICC are expected to be issued in “batches” wherein the first batch is for former President Duterte, and the following batches will be for the other officials being investigated by the international tribunal, which include now-senator and former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald Dela Rosa.
Trillanes also claimed that there were personnel from the PNP who already cooperated with the ICC probe, implicating Duterte on the extra-judicial killings which saw thousands of deaths during his administration’s drug war.
Duterte's intensified anti-drug campaign has resulted in 6,000 deaths, based on the records of the government.
However, local and international human rights organizations estimate the actual number of victims to be between 12,000 to 30,000.
On April 15, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reiterated that the ICC has no jurisdiction to investigate the previous administration’s drug war, a position also being echoed by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Concerning the cooperation of government officials and law enforcement personnel, the DOJ previously said that individuals who will cooperate with the ICC “will be held accountable”.
Arrest warrant execution
According to Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra, assuming that an arrest warrant from the ICC pre-trial chamber is issued, its execution can only be done through PNP or other Philippine law enforcement agencies.
“The Interpol cannot intervene without coordinating with the PNP. So if the Philippine government will not cooperate, the ICC warrants of arrest cannot be implemented in Philippine territory,” Guevarra said in a Viber message to Philstar.com.
DOJ, on the other hand, has yet to respond to Philstar.com's request for comment on the former senator’s pronouncements. This will be updated with the department's response.
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