Palace on Duterte camp challenging ICC jurisdiction: Let them be

''Let them be.''

This was the response of Malacañang Friday when asked for comment on the move of the Duterte camp questioning the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court on the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

''Kung ang depensa nila ay walang jurisdiction ang ICC then that's part of due process. Let them be at kung ano man po ang magiging tugon dito ng ICC eh nasa kamay na po 'yan ng ICC,'' Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said in a briefing.

(If their defense is that the ICC has no jurisdiction then that's part of the process. Let them be and it is up to the ICC whatever its response would be.)

The lawyers of the former chief executive have submitted a "Defence Challenge with Respect to Jurisdiction" to the ICC. The submission, dated May 1, 2025, was signed by Duterte's counsel Nicholas Kaufman and associate counsel Prof. Dr. Dov Jacobs.

"Pursuant to Article 19(2)(a) of the Rome Statute,1 the Defence for Mr. Rodrigo Roa Duterte hereby respectfully submits a challenge to the exercise of jurisdiction by the International Criminal Court," Duterte's camp said in the document.

According to Duterte's lawyers, the preconditions for the exercise of jurisdiction in the Situation of the Philippines were not met at the time the Pre-Trial Chamber authorised the opening of an investigation on September 15 2021.

Through the document, Duterte's legal counsels have asked the international body for his immediate release.

Duterte was flown to The Hague after his arrest on March 11 and was placed in detention at the Hague Penitentiary Institution for charges of crimes against humanity for the extrajudicial killings during the drug war.

The confirmation of charges has been set for September 23, 2025.

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. has maintained that the arrest made was legal as the government only honored its commitments with the Interpol. —AOL, GMA Integrated News