Remulla says no need to respond to ICC prosecutor

Justice Secretary Jesus “Crispin” Boying Remulla on Wednesday said there is no need for the Philippine government to respond to the statement of International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan.

“Hindi na, hindi na [no need, no need],” Remulla said during a press briefing when asked for his personal opinion on whether the country should reply to Khan.

Khan said the Philippine government’s arguments against the resumption of the investigation on the Duterte administration's bloody war on drugs have no merit. He also reiterated his request that the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber order the resumption of the investigation.

The Philippine government previously said the tribunal lacks jurisdiction on the matter, and that the alleged crimes are insufficiently grave to warrant further action. It also pointed out that it has investigated and prosecuted the alleged crimes or is currently doing so.

Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said that the government will avail all legal remedies regardless of the ICC's ruling on the country’s request to not resume the drug war probe.

No jurisdiction

During his press briefing, Remulla reiterated that the Philippines is no longer a member of the ICC and that it has a functioning democracy.

“As far as we are concerned, we are not members of the ICC anymore and he cannot have any compulsory process in our country if he wants to investigate what he wants to investigate,” he said.

“And we submitted all of these things to the ICC out of comity, out of the principle of comity. And nothing more, nothing less,” Remulla, a former lawmaker, added.

Meanwhile, Remulla said they have been in office for only 88 days and that the ICC cannot expect them to have all information ready overnight.

The Justice secretary said the cases happened five or six years ago, and reiterated that there is a lack of witnesses in the cases.

“If they want to put our people in jail, there has to be a reason for it and there has to be due process first. We have to observe the rights of the people who are accused of committing crimes,” he said.

'Disservice'

Remulla also said that Khan is doing the ICC a "great disservice."

“I hope that the ICC will know that Mr. Khan is doing them a great disservice by putting a challenge to our system here. Are they putting a challenge to our system here?” he said.

“They cannot run roughshod over our system and say you’re a lousy country and you cannot do what we want you to do. Are they dictating on us? What we should do as a country?”

Meanwhile, the investigations by local authorities on the drug war, which claimed the lives of thousands of suspects, are ongoing, according to Remulla. 

“We’re continuing our investigations. We’re not stopping,” he said, adding that they are hoping that there will be more witnesses to come forward.

“That’s what we need here. Eh kung walang testigo, paano ang kaso?” Remulla, who will attend two human rights conventions in Geneva in October, said. —KBK/VBL, GMA News