MANILA, Philippines — Former president Rodrigo Duterte requested an interim release from the International Criminal Court (ICC) to an undisclosed country, according to a recent filing by his legal counsel.
The petition was submitted on June 12, 2025 by Duterte’s lawyer Nicolas Kaufman, who informed the tribunal that a specific government has shown its “advance and principled agreement” to receive Duterte while awaiting further proceedings.
In a copy of the petition, Kaufman cited Article 60 of the Rome Statute, allowing temporary release under certain conditions.
It said that the designated government would facilitate Duterte’s release based on the conditions set by the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I.
It said that the concept of interim release entailed a temporary discharge of an accused individual detained by the ICC. Historically, the ICC has had such agreements with countries like Belgium and Argentina.
In his plea, Kaufman contended that Duterte did not fulfill any criteria to justify continued pre-trial detention neither did he “pose an objective risk of flight, nor is his arrest necessary to ensure the integrity of the investigations.”
Notably, the ICC Prosecution does not oppose the request for interim release, Kaufman said, which “demonstrated an acknowledgment of the minimal risks under Article 58(1)(b) related to flight, obstruction of justice, or the continuation of crimes.”
Duterte has been detained at a facility in The Hague since his arrest in the Philippines in March on orders of the ICC. He is facing charges of alleged crimes against humanity resulting from his deadly drug war during his term from 2016 to 2022.
