The International Criminal Court (ICC) has dismissed the request by former President Rodrigo Duterte’s legal team to disqualify two judges from his crimes against humanity case, confirming that no bias or partiality exists.
In a full decision released on July 3, the ICC plenary of judges unanimously ruled that Judges Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou and María del Socorro Flores Liera acted fully within their professional duties and showed no signs of prejudice.
The ruling emphasized that their involvement in earlier legal decisions did not compromise their impartiality and that their actions fell within the scope of their judicial responsibilities under the Rome Statute.
Duterte’s team had earlier argued for their removal to uphold the proceedings’ integrity, specifically as the judges were expected to rule on jurisdiction-related matters. However, the ICC plenary concluded there was no legitimate ground for disqualification.
The decision comes as Duterte remains in ICC custody in The Hague, with his confirmation of charges hearing set for September 23, 2025. According to CenterLaw Executive Director Gilbert Andres, the ICC is also expected to release its Document Containing Charges (DCC), which will outline whether the accusations extend beyond murder to include offenses like unlawful imprisonment or arbitrary detentions.