MANILA - International Criminal Court (ICC) spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah on Wednesday said a hearing will be scheduled as soon as former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is turned over to the court.

“Once a suspect is in ICC custody, an initial appearance hearing will be scheduled,” El Abdallah said in an email response to ABS-CBN.

The court however said they will release further information in due time.

El Abdallah reiterated that the court has issued an arrest warrant against the former President.

“The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I has issued an arrest warrant for Mr Rodrigo Roa Duterte for charges of the crime of murder as a crime against humanity allegedly committed in the Philippines between 1 November 2011 and 16 March 2019,” El Abdallah said.

Duterte was arrested by police officers on Tuesday morning, acting on a warrant from the ICC over his war on drugs, shortly after he arrived in the Philippines from Hong Kong. 

Duterte, 79, faces a charge of "the crime against humanity of murder", according to the ICC, for the crackdown in which rights groups estimate tens of thousands of mostly poor men were killed by officers and vigilantes, often without proof they were linked to drugs.

A Gulfstream G550 jet bringing Duterte to The Hague, where he will face trial before the ICC, took off at 11:03 p.m. Tuesday from Villamor Air Base, according to flightradar24.com. 

Gulfstream jet carrying Duterte leaves Villamor for The Hague