MANILA — The International Criminal Court (ICC) has ordered the freezing of money seized from former president Rodrigo Duterte following his arrest and transfer to The Hague, while prosecutors seek access to additional confiscated items as preparations for his crimes against humanity trial continue.
Court documents released by the ICC showed that Trial Chamber III granted the prosecution’s request to freeze “any money that had been seized” from Duterte when he was arrested in March 2025, despite objections from his legal team.
The amount of cash confiscated from the former president has not been disclosed.
Duterte’s lawyers argued that the freezing order was unnecessary because the funds were already under the custody of the ICC Registry.
Separate filings also revealed that ICC prosecutors are seeking permission to examine additional items seized from Duterte during his arrest.
While the defense said it does not oppose prosecutors inspecting some of the confiscated belongings, it urged the court to deny access to the keys currently being held by the ICC Registry.
“The request is, in substance, a fishing expedition. The prosecution advances no evidential basis connecting the keys either to the commission or furtherance of the alleged crimes or to any assets that may be relevant to the investigation,” the defense said.
“The basis of such a request must exist before the investigation is undertaken, not emerge as a result thereof. The prosecution cannot be permitted to examine the keys in order to articulate, post facto, the evidential foundation required to justify that examination in the first place,” it added.
The defense also asked the ICC to ensure that prosecutors safeguard any personal information belonging to Duterte and his family that is unrelated to the case while examining the seized materials.
“Such information should also be destroyed or permanently deleted at the earliest possible opportunity,” the defense said.
Duterte is facing charges of crimes against humanity before the ICC over alleged killings linked to his anti-illegal drug campaign during his presidency and his tenure as mayor of Davao City.
His trial is scheduled to begin on Nov. 30, 2026./PN
