INTERNATIONAL Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan has been disqualified from handling the case against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte over the issue of a possible conflict of interest.
Reuters reported that the decision stemmed from Khan’s previous role as a representative of the Philippines Human Rights Commission (PHRC), where he was involved in identifying Duterte as a primary suspect in alleged human rights violations.
The defense argued that this prior involvement could compromise Khan’s impartiality.
In August, Duterte’s legal team filed a motion seeking Khan’s disqualification, claiming that he had prior engagement with communications from victims of the war on drugs submitted to the ICC.
Khan denied any conflict of interest and asked the panel of judges to reject the motion.
However, on October 2, in a ruling not yet made public, the Appeals Chamber sided with the defense, stating that Khan’s involvement could create an appearance of bias, effectively disqualifying him from the case.
Khan had previously been investigated by the United Nations over alleged sexual misconduct, which his lawyers have strongly denied.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte has been detained at the ICC Detention Center in The Hague, Netherlands, since March, facing charges related to killings linked to his administration’s controversial war on drugs campaign.
