By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora
MANILA – The International Criminal Court (ICC) Appeals Chamber has rejected the appeal of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s camp seeking his interim release from detention.
The appellate court upheld the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I’s Jan. 26 decision to continue holding the ex-president at the ICC Detention Center in the Netherlands due to flight risk concerns.
“The Appeals judges unanimously confirm the decision of Pre-Trial Chamber I, which had remanded Mr. Duterte in detention,” ICC spokesperson Oriane Maillet said on Friday night.
“The Appeals Chamber rejected or dismissed all of the Defense’s arguments and rejected the Defense’s ground of appeal in its entirety.”
The defense earlier raised one ground of appeal and made a case that the Pre-Trial Chamber I “erred in fact and in law, and abused its discretion” when it disregarded a report concerning Duterte’s health condition that it previously submitted on the basis that it came from a party to the proceedings.
The Appeals Chamber argued that the defense’s report does not include any new information concerning Duterte’s health condition, as the two medical practitioners it selected did not conduct any new examination of Mr. Duterte.
It also noted that the assessment of the risk factors, including the impact of Duterte’s health condition on these risks, “is a legal determination to be made by the Pre-Trial Chamber” and does not require any assistance from medical practitioners. (PNA)
