Manila [Philipines], March 13: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the execution of the arrest warrant for former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was in compliance with a commitment to the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and was not politically motivated.
"Interpol asked for help and we responded because it was our duty to do so," Reuters quoted Mr. Marcos as saying at a press conference on the evening of March 11.
The statement came after Vice President of the Philippines Sara Duterte, daughter of Mr. Duterte, accused the Philippine police of arresting and handing over her father to the International Criminal Court (ICC) as illegal and politically motivated. Ms. Sara Duterte left for the Netherlands on March 12 to meet Mr. Duterte's legal team and discuss the ICC charges.
The former Philippine president was arrested on March 11 after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for crimes against humanity in his war on drugs. After being detained for more than 12 hours at Villamor Air Base (Philippines), Mr. Duterte was put on a plane to The Hague (Netherlands) - where the ICC is located.
Many saw the arrests as an affront to Philippine sovereignty. The Philippines left the ICC in 2019 at Duterte's behest, but the court retained jurisdiction over the cases before its withdrawal. The ICC investigation was suspended for nearly two years, before resuming in July 2023 after a five-judge panel rejected the Philippines' objection that the ICC had no jurisdiction.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
