The International Criminal Court Appeals Chamber has rejected the appeal of the Philippine government to suspend the body’s probe on the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs.
“The Appeals Chamber rejects the request of the Republic of the Philippines for suspensive effect of the aforementioned decision of Pre-Trial Chamber I,” the ICC Appeals Chamber said.
The decision comes after the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) filed an appeal seeking to suspend the probe of the ICC prosecutor citing lack of jurisdiction on the matter.
“Apart from merely referring to far-reaching and inimical consequences or implications of the Prosecutor’s activities on suspects, witnesses and victims the country had failed to explain what those implications might be and how the Prosecutor’s investigation would result in consequences that the OSG claimed could not be corrected,” the ICC added in its explanation.
The chamber added that the Philippine side failed to prove its claims on “how the alleged absence of jurisdictional or legal basis for the resumption of the Prosecutor’s activities pending the resolution of the appeal would ‘defeat its very purpose and create an irreversible situation that could not be corrected’.”
The ICC added that the local courts in the Philippines can still proceed with their probe amid ongoing ICC probe.
“Lastly, the Appeals Chamber notes that as far as national investigations are concerned, the Philippines is in a position to continue its investigations irrespective of the ongoing proceedings before the Court,” the decision added.
