Duterte defense team submits new evidence in ICC case

The camp of former President Rodrigo Duterte has submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC) a new batch of evidence for his crimes against humanity case over his controversial war on drugs.

According to a document dated November 5, Duterte’s camp disclosed 13 items of evidence on November 3 to the Office of the Prosecutor and the Office of Public Counsel for Victims (OPCV).

However, the disclosed items were filed as “confidential ex parte” that were only available to the defense, the prosecution, and the OPCV.

It was signed by lawyer Nicholas Kaufman, the former Philippine leader’s legal counsel.

This is the second batch of evidence submitted by Duterte’s camp with the first submission taking place in September. The first batch contained 29 items.

Duterte is currently detained at the The Hague in The Netherlands.

The ICC Prosecutor has charged him with 49 incidents of murder and attempted murder during his time as mayor of Davao City and as President of the Philippines.

Based on government records, around 6,200 drug suspects were killed during the Duterte administration's anti-drug operations. Human rights organizations, however, say that the number may reach 30,000 due to the unreported related slays. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News