Former President Rodrigo Duterte leads the proclamation rally of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) at Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan City, on February 13, 2025. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File 

MANILA — The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) Office of the Prosecutor has submitted its sixth communication of evidence disclosure in the case against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

The June 3 submission is part of pre-trial proceedings for the alleged crime against humanity of murder in the Duterte administration's bloody war on drugs.

Since the disclosure of evidence last April 30, the prosecution has submitted at least 267 items and has twice requested for extension in time limits,  which the ICC granted both times.

The extensions were meant to allow the prosecution to apply standard redactions to certain materials to protect the identities of witnesses and ensure their safety.

All materials submitted during the disclosure will be part of the evidence that the prosecution intends to use in the upcoming confirmation of charges hearing scheduled for September 23, 2025.

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The hearing will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial. If the charges are confirmed, Duterte will face a full trial at the ICC, in what is considered as a landmark case by the international community.

Duterte was arrested on March 11, 2025 upon his return to the Philippines from Hong Kong. He was immediately transferred to The Hague, The Netherlands and has since been detained at the ICC detention facility in Scheveningen. 

Torre insists Duterte arrest was 'done by the book'

The ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I issued a warrant for Duterte’s arrest, citing “reasonable grounds” to believe that he was “individually responsible” as an “indirect co-perpetrator for the crime against humanity of murder, allegedly committed in the Philippines between 1 November 2011 and 16 March 2019.”

Duterte’s lawyers Nicholas Kaufman and Dov Jacobs contested the ICC’s jurisdiction over the case, arguing that the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute in 2019 precludes the court from prosecuting him.

However, the ICC maintains that it retains jurisdiction over crimes committed while the Philippines was still a member state. 

Ex-President Duterte defends Davao dynasty from ICC prison

The defense sought the disqualification of Judges Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou and María del Socorro Flores Liera from the Pre-Trial Chamber, alleging potential bias due to decisions over the same issue of jurisdiction over the Philippines.

Duterte lawyer asks ICC presidency to disqualify judges on jurisdiction issue

The ICC has denied the defense team’s previous invitation for the recusal of the two judges due to the lack of “procedural propriety.” 

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