Philippine's former President Duterte gives up challenge to ICC judges

Nicholas Kaufman said his client will no longer challenge an ICC decision, which dismissed the former president’s claim that judges Reine Alapini-Gansou and Maria del Socorro Flores Liera were biased, it said.

The ICC dismissed an appeal by Duterte's defense team on July 3 to excuse the two judges as magistrates in his case at The Hague, the Netherlands.

The defense stated that the judges’ prior involvement created a possible conflict of interest.​​​​​​​

"‌No, I’m not going to, as I’ve said, there has been new information which has come to light. I can’t disclose that information, but it does affect whether or not I would want to seek reconsideration of the request to disqualify,” Kaufman was quoted in the newspaper.

He denied that Duterte was involved in the destruction of evidence in the drug war, after claims by Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla that key evidence in the drug war was destroyed, hence the decision to cede jurisdiction to the ICC.

The ICC last week submitted additional evidence to bolster its case against Duterte. It detailed 1,062 items organized under various categories.

Duterte was arrested in Manila on March 11 under an ICC warrant and was flown to The Hague the same day.

He is accused of being responsible for thousands of deaths during his so-called war on drugs between 2016 and 2022.