The International Criminal Court (ICC) has dealt a significant blow to former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte by unanimously rejecting his attempt to remove two judges overseeing his case. The request to disqualify Judges María del Socorro Flores Liera and Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou was reviewed by the full bench of ICC judges on June 9, who found no grounds to grant Duterte’s motion. This decision means the judges will continue to preside over critical jurisdictional issues as the court moves forward with its investigation into allegations against Duterte stemming from his controversial war on drugs.
Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s attempt to have two International Criminal Court (ICC) judges taken off his case has been denied. All ICC judges met and agreed to keep Judges María del Socorro Flores Liera and Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou on the case.
Duterte’s legal team argued that these judges had already dealt with important issues tied to his case, which they said could affect their fairness. The judges, however, disagreed and said they saw no reason to step aside. They explained that judges are trained to make decisions based only on the facts and arguments presented to them.
The ICC’s chief judge, Tomoko Akane, confirmed that the decision to reject Duterte’s request was unanimous. The court’s prosecutors also supported keeping the two judges involved.
With this ruling, Judges Liera and Alapini-Gansou will continue to handle Duterte’s case as the ICC moves forward with its investigation.