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Janvic Mateo - The Philippine Star
June 28, 2026 | 12:00am
The International Criminal Court resumes its hearing on the confirmation of charges against former president Rodrigo Duterte on February 27, 2026.
(YouTube / ICC)
MANILA, Philippines — Trial judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) have granted the prosecution’s request to freeze the money seized from former president Rodrigo Duterte when he was arrested and turned over to the international tribunal in March 2025.
Defense filings made public on Friday confirmed that ICC Trial Chamber III granted the prosecution’s request to freeze “any money that had been seized” from Duterte following his arrest.
Duterte’s lawyers earlier described the request as unnecessary, saying it “will have no practical impact upon the existing state of affairs” because the money is already in the custody of the ICC Registry.
It remains unclear how much money Duterte had with him when he was arrested.
Meanwhile, public filings also showed that the prosecution is seeking access to other items seized from the former president.
While the defense does not oppose the prosecution’s request to inspect some of the seized items, defense counsel Peter Haynes urged the judges not to allow access to the keys currently in the custody of the ICC Registry.
“The request is, in substance, a fishing expedition. The prosecution advances no evidential basis connecting the keys either to the commission or furtherance of the alleged crimes or to any assets that may be relevant to the investigation,” the defense said in its submission originally filed on June 16.
“The basis of such a request must exist before the investigation is undertaken, not emerge as a result thereof. The prosecution cannot be permitted to examine the keys in order to articulate, post facto, the evidential foundation required to justify that examination in the first place,” it added.
As for the other seized items, the defense asked the prosecution to take appropriate measures to limit access to personal information belonging to Duterte and his family that is not relevant to the investigation.
“Such information should also be destroyed or permanently deleted at the earliest possible opportunity,” it added.
