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Janvic Mateo - The Philippine Star
January 9, 2026 | 12:00am
A man holds a portrait of former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte in front of the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he will be appearing, in The Hague on March 14, 2025.
AFP / Nicolas Tucat
MANILA, Philippines — Pre-trial judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) have denied the request of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s defense team for an additional expert report on his medical condition.
In a five-page decision dated Jan. 7, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I said the three-member expert panel was appointed for a “limited purpose” of assessing Duterte’s medical condition in relation to his fitness to take part in the pre-trial proceedings.
“The Panel has fulfilled its mandate with the submission of the Panel’s Reports, which are available to the Defense and, should it wish to do so, can be referred to in its observations regarding the review of Mr. Duterte’s detention,” read the decision.
“In these circumstances, the Chamber sees no reason to order the Panel to prepare any additional report that exceeds its mandate,” it added.
In his Dec. 19 request, defense lawyer Nicholas Kaufman asked the Pre-Trial Chamber to direct the panel of medical experts to issue a report on whether Duterte’s “current cognitive state would permit him to flee the ongoing judicial proceedings, to intimidate witnesses, or to commit crimes.”
The request was made in the context of the defense’s push for interim release.
Both the prosecution and the victims’ counsel have opposed the request for the expert report.
