Duterte lawyers press ICC to overturn jurisdiction ruling

The camp of former president Rodrigo Duterte has asked the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to reverse its pretrial chamber’s ruling that affirmed the Court’s jurisdiction on the former leader's crimes against humanity of murder case.

- By RAYMUND ANTONIO

In a four-page petition signed by lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman and assistant counsel Dr. Dov Jacobs on Oct. 28, the defense team sought the reversal of the decision, and for the Appeals Chamber “to find that there exists no legal basis for the continuation of International Criminal Court proceedings against Mr. Rodrigo Roa Duterte.”

It also wants the Chamber to “order his immediate and unconditional release.”

The appeal was filed under Article 82(1)(a) of the Rome Statute, which provides that either party may exercise their right to appeal a decision with respect to jurisdiction.

This filing came on the heels of the Oct. 23 ruling of the Pre-Trial Chamber (PTC) I, which rejected the defense’s claims that the tribunal had no authority to prosecute and try Duterte over the crimes committed in the Philippines during his administration’s brutal war on drugs campaign.