THE INTERNATIONAL Criminal Court’s (ICC) Office of the Prosecutor has submitted its sixth batch of evidence disclosure in the high-profile case against former President Rodrigo Duterte, who faces charges of crimes against humanity for murder in connection with his administration’s “war on drugs.”
The latest submission on June 3 is a critical step in the pre-trial proceedings, as the prosecution prepares for the upcoming confirmation of charges hearing.
Since the initial evidence disclosure on April 30, the prosecution has now provided at least 267 distinct items to the court.
Prosecutors have twice sought and been granted extensions on time limits for disclosure.
These extensions were crucial for applying standard redactions to sensitive materials, primarily to protect the identities and ensure the safety of witnesses involved in the case.
All evidence submitted during this disclosure phase will be central to the prosecution’s arguments at the confirmation of charges hearing, which is currently scheduled for September 23, 2025.
This pivotal hearing will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed to a full trial against the former president.
If the charges are confirmed, Duterte will face a comprehensive trial at the ICC, a development widely viewed by the international community as a landmark case for accountability.
Duterte’s legal saga at the ICC intensified with his arrest on March 11, 2025, upon his return to the Philippines from Hong Kong.
He was immediately transferred to The Hague, Netherlands, where he has since been detained at the ICC detention facility in Scheveningen.
The ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I issued the warrant for Duterte’s arrest, citing “reasonable grounds” to believe he was “individually responsible” as an “indirect co-perpetrator for the crime against humanity of murder.”
The alleged crimes are said to have been committed in the Philippines between November 1, 2011, and March 16, 2019, covering a significant portion of his presidential term and his time as mayor of Davao City.
Meanwhile, Duterte’s defense team, led by lawyers Nicholas Kaufman and Dov Jacobs, continues to contest the ICC’s jurisdiction over the case.
They argue that the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute in 2019 effectively precludes the court from prosecuting him, a legal challenge that will likely be a key aspect of the ongoing proceedings.
