Imee sets 2nd hearing on Duterte arrest

Dissatisfied with the information she gathered from the first inquiry on the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte on orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Sen. Imee Marcos has set a second public hearing on Thursday next week.

- CECILLE SUERTE FELIPE

"I've decided to have a second hearing on April 3," Marcos told The STAR yesterday.

The elder sister of President Marcos has been vocal in her support for Duterte. She left the administration's senatorial lineup, the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas.

The Senate committee on foreign affairs, which she chairs, has yet to disclose the personalities to be invited to the second hearing.

She earlier told The STAR that she wanted to invite legal experts, possibly retired court justices.

At her press conference last Thursday, Senator Marcos said that the government had a "comprehensive plan" to arrest Duterte and cooperate with the ICC despite questions of sovereignty and "glaring violations" of Duterte's rights as accused.

Marcos said her Senate foreign relations committee investigation noted the "lack of due process" in the Philippine government's turnover of Duterte to The Hague for his drug war-related crimes against humanity case.