Camille Naredo

A man holds a portrait of former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte in front of the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he will be appearing, in The Hague on March 14, 2025. Nicolas Tucat, AFP/File

A man holds a portrait of former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte in front of the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he will be appearing, in The Hague on March 14, 2025. Philippine ex-president Rodrigo Duterte was expected to make his first appearance at the International Criminal Court on March 14, to face crimes against humanity charges over his deadly narcotics crackdown. The 79-year-old was set to appear before judges for a short hearing where he is to be informed of the crimes he is alleged to have committed, as well as his rights as a defendant. (Photo by Nicolas TUCAT / AFP)

Article (news)

DUTERTE-ICC

Eon Sanchez

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1783115907887AFP__20250314__372B2JW__v1__MidRes__NetherlandsPhilippinesJustice.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="A man holds a portrait of former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte in front of the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he will be appearing, in The Hague on March 14, 2025. Nicolas Tucat, AFP/File"/>A man holds a portrait of former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte in front of the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he will be appearing, in The Hague on March 14, 2025. Nicolas Tucat, AFP/File</div>MANILA -- The International Criminal Court (ICC) has allowed prosecutors to examine some materials taken from former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte following his arrest, while rejecting a separate request for access to all keys found among his belongings.The rulings, originally issued on May 28 and June 22 but released to the public in redacted form on Friday, showed that Trial Chamber III partly granted the prosecution&#x27;s requests for materials kept by the ICC Registry in connection with its investigation into Duterte&#x27;s alleged crimes against humanity.In its May 28 decision, the chamber granted the prosecution&#x27;s request to inspect certain redacted materials recovered from Duterte&#x27;s belongings after he was surrendered to the custody of the Court on March 12, 2025.The judges said there were reasonable grounds to believe the requested examination could produce evidence necessary for the investigation and found the request &quot;necessary and proportionate&quot; to the prosecution&#x27;s investigative needs.The chamber also ordered prosecutors to submit, within one month after receiving the materials, a report detailing the measures taken to protect Duterte&#x27;s private information.The judges, however, criticized the prosecution for waiting more than a year after being informed of the Registry&#x27;s report before seeking access to the materials.&quot;The Chamber deplores the fact that the Prosecution did not make this request at an earlier stage of the proceedings and provides no reason for this failure,&quot; the decision said.The chamber also granted prosecutors access to the Registry&#x27;s inventory of items obtained from Duterte upon his arrest by ordering the reclassification of confidential Registry documents. However, it said it was premature to rule on prosecutors&#x27; request to access additional materials until after they had reviewed the inventory.The Court likewise granted the prosecution&#x27;s request to preserve the value of any money found among Duterte&#x27;s belongings, ordering the Registry to take appropriate measures to prevent its devaluation.The chamber said the funds could be subject to forfeiture or used for possible reparations to victims if Duterte is eventually convicted.In a separate decision dated June 22, the chamber partly granted a second prosecution request seeking additional materials from the Registry after prosecutors reviewed the inventory.The judges approved access to two categories of redacted materials, saying they could produce evidence necessary for the investigation and that the examination was proportionate to the prosecution&#x27;s needs.However, the chamber denied the prosecution&#x27;s request for access to all keys in the Registry&#x27;s custody, saying they failed to explain what the keys were for or how they could provide relevant evidence.The judges also noted the defense&#x27;s argument that some keys may belong to Duterte&#x27;s relatives, making access to them a possible intrusion into the privacy rights of third parties.&quot;The requested access to the Keys is neither necessary nor proportionate, and should therefore be rejected,&quot; the chamber said.The chamber also ordered prosecutors to file any additional requests for access to materials in the Registry&#x27;s custody by June 30, noting the prosecution&#x27;s earlier delays in seeking the evidence.Duterte&#x27;s defense had previously opposed what it described as the prosecution&#x27;s &quot;evidence hunt&quot; and asked the chamber to impose a deadline for any further requests for materials held by the Registry.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/27/duterte-defense-slams-icc-prosecution-s-evidence-hunt-demands-strict-deadline-0815">READ: Duterte defense slams ICC prosecution&#x27;s &#x27;evidence hunt&#x27;, demands strict deadline</a></div>These evidentiary developments unfold as Trial Chamber III maps out the critical roadmap leading to Duterte&#x27;s trial, which is scheduled to begin on November 30.Presiding Judge Joanna Korner has signaled that the former president is expected to personally attend an important status conference scheduled for September 7, unless restricted by a medical issue. <div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/24/icc-trial-chamber-wants-rodrigo-duterte-to-appear-in-sept-7-status-conference-1202">READ: ICC judge expects Duterte to attend Sept. 7 status conference</a></div>The chamber notes that this specific hearing will be pivotal, occurring immediately after the court receives the prosecution&#x27;s trial brief, witness lists, and an independent expert medical evaluation of Duterte&#x27;s health due in mid-to-late August.Duterte currently faces three counts of crimes against humanity for murder and attempted murder at the ICC, stemming from his controversial anti-drug campaign between 2011 and 2019 during his tenures as mayor of Davao City and president of the Philippines.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/23/amid-high-public-interest-icc-judge-issues-warning-to-counsels-vs-media-statements-1734">READ: Amid high public interest, ICC judge issues warning to counsels vs. media statements</a></div>

The International Criminal Court has allowed prosecutors to examine some materials taken from former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte following his arrest, while rejecting a separate request for access to all keys found among his belongings.

The International Criminal Court has allowed prosecutors to examine some materials taken from former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte following his arrest, while rejecting a separate request for access to all keys found among his belongings.

ICC Trial Chamber III partly grants prosecution access to seized Duterte property

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ICC Trial Chamber III partly grants prosecution access to seized Duterte property

Eon Sanchez,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 04, 2026 06:05 AM PHT

Read More:

Rodrigo Duterte

The Hague

International Criminal Court

ICC

crime against humanity

drug war

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