Matobato Under ‘Protective Custody’ of ICC – De Lima

Self-confessed Davao death squad (DDS) hitman Edgar Matobato is now under the protective custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC), former senator Leila de Lima said yesterday.

- By JANVIC MATEO

In an interview with "Storycon" on One News, De Lima said Matobato left the Philippines in the second quarter of 2024 because the ICC prosecutor was trying to access him for its ongoing investigation on the Duterte administration's drug war and killings by the DDS.

“Initially, the ICC was not trying to access him. Eventually they did. That’s why he had to leave, in order to make it easier for the ICC to access him,” she said in Filipino.

Like another self-confessed DDS member, hitman Arturo Lascañas, De Lima said Matobato is “under the protective custody now of the ICC in an undisclosed location.”

The New York Times over the weekend published an article detailing how Matobato, his wife and two stepchildren were able to leave the Philippines using fake identities and travel documents.

The report did not disclose or specify when they left the country.

“Mr. Matobato had managed to obtain a new identity with a new passport and a new job description: gardener,” wrote Bangkok-based Times reporter Hannah Beech.