Who's who at Duterte’s ICC confirmation of charges hearing this week

February 23, 2026 | 7:58pm

MANILA, Philippines — The confirmation of charges hearing against former President Rodrigo Duterte opened Monday, February 23, at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, a proceeding that will determine whether the 80-year-old politician faces a full trial for crimes against humanity linked to his drug war.

Duterte himself has been allowed by the ICC to skip his own hearing. But the hearing will go on without him, running four days — February 23, 24, 26, and 27 — with three sessions per day capped at three hours, an accommodation tied to the former president's medical condition. 

Here are the key players in the ICC proceedings this week.

The judges

Pre-Trial Chamber I is led by Presiding Judge Iulia Motoc of Romania, the first Romanian ever elected to the ICC. Before joining the court in 2024, Motoc spent a decade as a judge at the European Court of Human Rights and served as a UN Special Rapporteur for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, documenting crimes against humanity and war crimes.  

She sits with Judge Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou, former chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and Judge María del Socorro Flores Liera, a Mexican diplomat who was part of her country’s delegation during negotiations of the Rome Statute and creation of the ICC itself.

The three judges will decide within 60 days of the pre-trial hearing whether there are substantial grounds to believe Duterte committed the crimes charged against him. 

Confirmation of even one charge means Duterte's case moves to trial.

The prosecution

The ICC Office of the Prosecutor is being led by Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang.

Niang, a Senegalese jurist, assumed oversight of the Philippines situation after Prosecutor Karim Khan went on leave in 2025 amid a misconduct investigation. Niang previously worked as a prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and at the tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

The prosecution is assisted in court by Senior Trial Lawyer Julian Nicholls.

The victims' legal representatives

For the first time, Filipino lawyers are representing victims before the ICC.

The chamber designated Joel Butuyan and Gilbert Andres of the Center for International Law Philippines (CenterLaw) as common legal representatives in January. 

The victims’ team also includes Paolina Massidda of the ICC’s Office of Public Counsel for Victims, who assists legal representatives across situations before the court.

The defense team

Duterte is represented before the ICC by lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman and associate counsel Dov Jacobs.

While Kaufman and Jacobs handle the courtroom proceedings, a six-member Filipino team announced by the Duterte family is also in The Hague. They will not be speaking during the hearing.

The team is led by former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, who accompanied Duterte on the flight to The Hague after his arrest in March 2025 and represented him at his initial appearance. Also on the team are former Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, former Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, former LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra III, former BIR Commissioner Caesar Dulay, and former PAGCOR President Alfredo Cereza Lim. All served under Duterte's presidency.