Rodrigo Duterte asks to be excused from confirmation of charges hearing
Former president Rodrigo Duterte has requested the International Criminal Court to allow him to skip his confirmation of charges hearing next week.
In his letter addressed to the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I, Duterte expressed his wish to be excused from the hearing set to take place from Feb. 23 to 27.
"I understand the consequences of my waiving this right which has been thoroughly explained to me by my Counsel and I trust him and his team to challenge the sufficiency of the Prosecution's evidence on my behalf," he said.
According to him, his refusal to attend stems from his non-recognition of the ICC’s jurisdiction over him.
"I am a Filipino citizen forcibly pushed into a jet and renditioned to The Hague in the Netherlands in flagrant contravention of my country's Constitution and of national sovereignty. My kidnapping was facilitated by the office of the incumbent President of the Philippines with a plane specially chartered for this purpose," Duterte said.
He further denied the crimes he's accused of. "The claim that I oversaw a policy of extra-judicial killings is an outrageous lie. These claims have been peddled by my political opponents for many years and, as my nation knows, they are based on the word of individuals whose credibility has been thoroughly discredited."
Duterte went on to assert that he is "old, tired, and frail," and would not want to attend legal proceedings that he will "forget within minutes."
"I wish for this Court to respect my peace inside the cell it has placed me. I have accepted the fact that I could die in prison. But those that desire this fate for me should know that my heart and soul will always remain in the Philippines," Duterte said.
"I am proud of my legacy and of my service to my countrymen around the world. Let no one doubt my love for and loyalty to the Filipino nation," he ended.
The confirmation of charges hearing will determine whether there are substantial grounds that an accused committed the crimes charged. If one or more of the charges are confirmed, the case will be transferred to a Trial Chamber for the actual trial, the next phase of the proceedings.
The hearings will take place on Feb. 23, 24, 26, and 27 in ICC Courtroom I. Each day follows a three-session schedule: the first begins at 5 p.m. (Philippine time), followed by sessions at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.
ICC noted that the schedule is subject to change "if warranted by developments in the proceedings, as deemed necessary by the Chamber."
Duterte has been at the ICC since March 12, 2025 following his arrest at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
He has been accused of being an "indirect co-perpetrator for the crime against humanity of murder pursuant to Article 7 (1)(a) of the Rome Statute."
His camp has made appeals for interim release, but The Hague tribunal has rejected this as he "continues to pose a flight risk."