Duterte camp retracts bid to disqualify ICC prosecutor Khan

The defense team of former President Rodrigo Duterte has withdrawn its request before the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to disqualify Prosecutor Karim Khan from handling the case.

“There is no ostensible reason to doubt the Prosecutor’s impartiality or his assertions that he is not conflicted on account of his former representation of [REDACTED],” Duterte's lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman stated in a document dated Aug. 15, 2025.

“The Defence, for its part, will not impede the smooth running of proceedings by seeking the Prosecutor’s disqualification,” the document further read.

Kaufman had raised the alarm over Khan’s conflict of interest, claiming that the latter previously represented the alleged victims of the Duterte administration’s drug war as a private lawyer.

In response, Khan said “no grounds exist” that would merit his removal from Duterte’s case.

"The Prosecutor notifies the (Pre-Trial Chamber) that the Prosecutor considers that there is no conflict of interest requiring him to seek to excuse himself from the situation in the Republic of the Philippines in accordance with rule 33," Khan said.

"To his credit, the Prosecutor immediately contacted Counsel, after the latter’s appointment, to brief him on the matter at hand. Counsel is assured that the Prosecutor is aware of his duty to inform the Pre-Trial Chamber, immediately, of any change in circumstances," Kaufman said in the document.

The former president was arrested in the Philippines by local authorities on March 11 on charges of crimes against humanity for his deadly war on drugs when he was mayor of Davao City and later as President of the Philippines.

The 80-year old Duterte is currently detained in the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague, The Netherlands.

Government records showed that there were over 6,000 drug suspects killed in police operations during the previous administration's drug war. Human rights organizations, however, said that the death toll may have reached 30,000 due to unreported incidents. — RF, GMA Integrated News