Remulla says ICC warrant vs Bato out; DOJ verifying

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant against Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa for crimes against humanity in connection with his role in the previous Duterte administration’s deadly war on drugs, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said yesterday in a radio interview.

- By ELIZABETH MARCELO

“I have it on good authority, since this is a public interest program, (to announce) that the ICC has issued a warrant against Sen. Bato dela Rosa — a warrant of arrest,” Remulla told dzRH yesterday.

Asked if the information is confirmed, Remulla said: "I would say so. I have it on good authority. Someone spoke to me about it earlier," he said in the interview.

He has yet to respond to The STAR's query about the date of issuance of the warrant or his source of information.

There was no confirmation yet of the arrest order from the ICC either. The international court does not always disclose its release of arrest warrants.

In the case of former president Rodrigo Duterte, the public redacted version of the warrant for his arrest was released only after he was surrendered to the ICC.

Malacañang also said it cannot confirm the development. "No confirmation," Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a text message.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) also said it is still verifying the information. "As of this hour, we are currently working to verify this information. We have also not yet seen or received a copy of said arrest warrant. We shall provide further details as soon as it becomes available," DOJ spokesman Polo Martinez said in a statement.

The Department of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement that it has not received any communication from the ICC regarding an arrest warrant.

There is no word yet from Dela Rosa regarding the supposed arrest order, but his lawyer has called on the public and media to exercise restraint, saying reports on the arrest order were still unverified.