MANILA, Philippines — The defense lawyer of Rodrigo Duterte said that they would no longer file a motion for reconsideration on his client’s request to disqualify the two International Criminal Court (ICC) judges who are part of the panel that will preside over the trial of the former president who is facing charges of crimes against humanity in relation to his bloody campaign on drugs.
“No, I’m not going to, as I’ve said, there has been new information which has come to light. I can’t disclose that information, but it does affect whether or not I would want to seek reconsideration of the request to disqualify,” Nicolas Kaufman said in an interview with blogger “Alvin and Tourism” posted on July 3.
In the petition, Kaufman said that Judges Reine Alapini-Gansou and Maria del Socorro Flores Liera may have a possible conflict of interest as they affirmed the court’s jurisdiction in an earlier phase in Duterte’s case.
In its ruling to dismiss Duterte’s request, the ICC said that under the Rome Statute, judges may exercise their functions at different stages of a case without giving rise to bias.
“No appearance of partiality arises from the ordinary exercise of judicial duties.” it added.
