Rodrigo Duterte not going home any time soon, says ICC lawyer
MANILA, Philippines — Former President Rodrigo Duterte is unlikely to return to the Philippines as he faces trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to a lawyer accredited by the court.
ICC-accredited lawyer Joel Butuyan said on Friday, March 21, that Duterte could only be sent home under two scenarios: if he is acquitted or granted interim release. However, he said that both possibilities are unlikely.
“I don’t think makakabalik pa siya (I don’t think he’ll be coming back),” the lawyer said in an ambush interview in Quezon City.
Duterte’s ICC arrest is currently being challenged by his children at the Supreme Court (SC). A petition for writ of habeas corpus is pending in the high court.
However, Butuyan said that the appeal was already moot and academic.
Vice President Duterte, Rodrigo’s daughter, has also admitted that her father is unlikely to return to the Philippines.
“He can no longer be brought back, President Duterte will no longer return to the Philippines,” Sara said in Filipino.
The vice president is currently in the Hague to accompany her father as he faces his case. He is being detained at the ICC for crimes against humanity.
Duterte’s arrest has sparked a divided reaction: with many human rights groups and drug war victims rejoicing at the chance for justice.
Allies of the former president have decried the arrest however, questioning the legality of the arrest and the government’s turnover to the ICC.
Duterte’s arrest has raised countless legal questions, which the SC now has to decide on.
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