(UPDATE) THE International Criminal Court (ICC) has dismissed an attempt by former president Rodrigo Duterte’s defense team to exclude two judges from ruling on jurisdictional challenges in his case, clearing the way for the pretrial chamber to determine whether the court has authority over the allegations against him.
In a decisive ruling, Pre-Trial Chamber I, presided over by Judge Iulia Antonnella Motoc, rejected the defense’s May 1 request urging Judges Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou and MarÃa del Socorro Flores Liera to recuse themselves from adjudicating jurisdictional issues. The defense had argued that the judges’ prior rulings in the Philippines investigation could create a perception of bias.
