Aamir Latif
17 March 2025•Update: 17 March 2025
KARACHI, Pakistan
Documents from the International Criminal Court (ICC) show that the Philippine government knew beforehand about former President Rodrigo Duterte's impending arrest over alleged crimes against humanity, despite its public denials, the Manila Times reported Monday.
Duterte was arrested and transported to The Hague in the Netherlands last week to stand trial at the ICC for alleged crimes against humanity in his so-called war against drugs as president from 2016 to 2022.
Government officials have denied having prior knowledge of the arrest warrant.
The ICC documents, however, indicate that the government had not only been informed of the arrest request but had also agreed to comply with it, the newspaper said.
Official communications also confirm that Philippine authorities were consulted in advance about the request.
The ICC’s diffusion request for Duterte's arrest was transmitted to the Philippine government before any public announcement was made.
The request was “transmitted after prior consultations with the Government of the Philippines, who have agreed to comply with this request for arrest," the document said.
Unlike a Red Notice, which goes through a formal review by the General Secretariat, a diffusion is directly sent to member countries through Interpol's communication channels without prior vetting.
Legal experts and human rights advocates have criticized the government's contradictory statements, arguing that misleading denials further undermine its credibility in the ICC probe and cast doubt on its commitment to international legal obligations.
In a related development, the Philippine National Police said Sunday that they would assist Interpol in serving arrest warrants for Duterte's co-accused.
