THE country that is reportedly willing to host former President Rodrigo Duterte may be adjacent to or may share a border with The Netherlands, a lawyer said yesterday.
Duterte has been in the Netherlands since March, under the custody of the International Criminal Court where he is charged with crimes against humanity. Last Friday, it was reported that he filed a petition for interim release and said another country has expressed its willingness to accept him.
“Ang aking suspicion, ‘yung mga bansa na karatig lang, adjacent or shares a border with The Netherlands, ‘yung pwedeng mag-agree na i-host si Duterte (My suspicion is only the adjacent countries, or those sharing a border with The Netherlands ill agree),” Joel Butuyan, one of the five Filipinos lawyers accredited by the ICC to argue before the tribunal, told radio dzBB.
He added the country should be an ICC member-country.
Butuyan, one of the lawyers of drug war victims, also said if the ICC grants Duterte’s request, it would “cause great concern” among the families of victims of extrajudicial killings and other abuses committed under the Duterte’s crackdown on illegal drugs.
He said there is no doubt it would be great concern if Duterte is released.
“Even nung naaresto si Mr. Duterte, takot pa rin ang mga biktima na lumabas at mag-participate sa ICC proceedings (Even when he was arrested, many of the victims are afraid to come out and participate in the ICC proceedings),” he said.
He said if Duterte’s plea for interim release is granted, it would undoubtedly lead to many witnesses hiding or refusing to testify against him out of fear for their safety and that of his family.
Aside from this, Butuyan said, if the ICC grants Duterte interim release, it would also cause reputational damage to the ICC and the prosecution.
Last week, Duterte through his lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman formally asked the ICC for interim release from detention, saying he is not a flight risk and that his arrest and continued detention is not necessary to ensure the integrity of the investigation or to preclude the continued commission of crimes.
The 16-page urgent request for interim release was dated June 12.
The ICC will take into account the political position, influence, contacts, financial resources, acts or assurances of cooperation, good behavior in detention, and family ties of the one seeking an interim release.
Duterte, according to his camp, will not imperil ICC proceedings of his case if temporarily released, and that he is not threat to prosecution witnesses.
His camp said there is no real or concrete risk that Duterte will commit crimes if granted interim release.
Likewise, it said Duterte no longer holds the lever of power in the Philippines since he is no longer the country’s president. Lastly, Duterte’s camp cited “humanitarian grounds” in his request, saying he is already 80 years.
