DUTERTE COULD FACE UP TO 30 YEARS OR LIFE IMPRISONMENT IF CONVICTED BY ICC - MALACANANG

MANILA, March 12 (Bernama-PNA) -- Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte could face up to 30 years or life imprisonment if convicted of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over his controversial war on drugs, Malacanang said on Wednesday.

“But it depends upon the defences that can be availed of by the former president,” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in a press briefing, according to the Philippines News Agency (PNA).

According to the ICC's website, the court does not impose the death penalty.

However, its judges can hand down a prison sentence of up to 30 years, or life imprisonment in exceptional cases. Convictions are subject to appeal, and the court may also order reparations for victims.

Duterte’s arrest by the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) and local authorities follows the ICC’s ongoing probe into allegations that his anti-drug campaign led to thousands of extrajudicial killings during his tenure as Davao City mayor and later as president.

The former president was flown out of the country late Tuesday night.

Castro, a lawyer, said Duterte must first appear before a local court in the Netherlands to determine the legality of his arrest before being presented to the ICC to face charges.

Philippines President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr, speaking at a press conference shortly after Duterte’s departure for The Hague clarified that the arrest was carried out at Interpol’s request, not the ICC’s.

“The arrest that we did today was in compliance with our commitments to Interpol. It just so happened that that came from ICC. But it's not because it came from ICC, it's because it came from Interpol,” Marcos said.

-- BERNAMA-PNA