The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Saturday said it has not received any information that the International Criminal Court (ICC) might release a warrant in September against former President Rodrigo Duterte and other persons involved in his administration’s war on drugs.
“We are not aware of that,” DOJ undersecretary Raul Vasquez said at a news forum.
Vasquez added, “None of our government agencies have been informed about anything.”
Retired Supreme Court senior associate justice Antonio Carpio recently claimed receiving information that the ICC might issue an arrest warrant against Duterte and other top officials of his administration next month. Carpio did not disclose his sources.
“I think the day of reckoning is coming closer, because what I’m hearing is that a warrant of arrest will be issued by the ICC sometime in September,” Carpio said in a vlog interview with political analyst Richard Heydarian earlier this week.
The ICC is investigating Duterte and other top officials of his administration for crimes against humanity over the alleged systematic drug war deaths in police operations. These deaths reached around 6,000 based on police records, but human rights groups contend that the deaths were as much as 30,000, including vigilante killings.
Duterte, however, has insisted that the Philippines was not under ICC’s jurisdiction due to Manila’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute in March 2019.
Red notice
In the same news forum, Vasquez said the implementation of a possible red notice by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) against persons involved in the drug war will be ultimately decided by the Philippines’ judicial authorities and law enforcers.
“Assuming na tatanggapin ng Interpol ‘yan at magpadala ng red notice (Assuming that the Interpol will accept that and send a red notice), in the final analysis, it is the Philippine authorities, judicial, law enforcement that will determine whether or not to implement it,” Vasquez said.
The DOJ official echoed previous statements of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, saying that while the Philippines had already withdrawn from the ICC, the country is still a member of the Interpol.
“Tanggapin mo man ‘yan bilang obligasyon mo, hindi mo puwedeng itapon, pero remember na lahat ng red notice may or may not be allowed, depending on the determination of the local authorities,” he added.
(Whether or not the Philippines accepts this or not, it cannot throw away its obligation. But remember that all red notices may or may not be allowed, depending on the determination of the local authorities.)
Should the Interpol issue a red notice, Vasquez said, the matter will be coordinated through the Philippine National Police (PNP), which has been designated as the country’s Interpol National Central Bureau.
“So coordinating body ‘yan at sila ang mag-i-implement na ‘yan if ever dumating ang panahon na ganu’n (The PNP is a coordinating body and it would be the one to implement it, should matters reach that point),” he said.
According to Interpol, a red notice is a “request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.”
Interpol said a red notice is “not an international arrest warrant,” adding that, “Member countries apply their own laws in deciding whether to arrest a person.” — VDV, GMA Integrated News
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