The International Criminal Court (ICC) said it cannot confirm reports that it has issued a warrant of arrest against Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa in connection with the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
In a message to reporters on Monday, November 11, ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah said official updates from the court can be verified only through its communications channels and press releases.
‘No, the ICC can’t confirm such news,’ El Abdallah said, responding to multiple queries over Ombudsman Boying Remulla’s statement.
‘ICC news can be found only on ICC official communications channels and press releases, where you could see that only one case to date has been opened, against Mr Duterte,’ he added.
On November 8, Remulla said in a DZRH interview that a warrant of arrest has already been issued against Dela Rosa by the ICC in connection with the war on drugs during the administration of detained former President Rodrigo Duterte.
What Remulla said. In a DZRH interview on November 8, Remulla claimed that the ICC had already issued a warrant of arrest against Dela Rosa.
‘I have it in good authority [to disclose] because this is a public interest program, that the ICC has issued a warrant against Senator Bato Dela Rosa, a warrant of arrest,’ Remulla said.
Following his statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Justice both said they have yet to receive any notice from Interpol regarding such a warrant.
What came before
On March 11, former president Rodrigo Duterte – who appointed Dela Rosa as Philippine National Police (PNP) chief – was handed over to the ICC following his return from Hong Kong. He was arrested for alleged crimes against humanity, including murder, over thousands of deaths linked to his administration’s anti-drug campaign.
In response, Duterte’s lawyers filed a petition before the Supreme Court questioning the Philippine government’s cooperation with the ICC. Dela Rosa is among the respondents to the petition.
As PNP chief, Dela Rosa was the architect of Oplan Tokhang, the flagship operation under Duterte’s war on drugs. Human rights groups say the toll from the operations could be as high as 30,000, most of them male, poor and did not go through due process before execution.