Vice President Sara Duterte expressed hope that the International Criminal Court (ICC) would speed up proceedings involving former President Rodrigo Duterte, saying his family has been seeking an earlier trial date as he remains in detention in The Hague.
Speaking in an interview released by the Office of the Vice President, Duterte said the family has only been relying on information made public through ICC publications and that the trial is currently scheduled for November. She said they consider the timeline too long, noting that the former president has already spent one year and four months in detention.
The vice president also commented on recent developments within the ICC, saying she hopes changes involving the court’s chief prosecutor would result in faster proceedings.
“We hope that they will always be for the accused since there is a presumption of innocence always for an accused,” Duterte said.
She added that while they are hoping for a quicker resolution, they do not know how the ICC will proceed with the case.
According to Duterte, the family continues to appeal for the trial to be expedited because of the former president’s age.
“He is already 81 years old and he cannot afford to stay in detention for three, four, five years more,” she said.
The vice president did not provide additional details on any legal developments beyond those already released by the ICC and said the family remains hopeful that the proceedings will move forward more quickly.
