DoJ open to dialogue with ICC

When he (Binz) comes here, we will show him everything, the stage or status of our investigation into the drug war

The Department of Justice is open to holding a dialogue with the International Criminal Court to alleviate the latter’s concerns about the drug war of the previous administration under President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

DoJ assistant secretary and spokesperson, Atty. Mico Clavano, however, said Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla stands pat on his position that no foreign investigators will be allowed to set foot in the country.

This, after the ICC recently resumed its investigation into the domestic drug war that ran from 2016 to 2022.

“They issued a decision authorizing the resumption of their investigation into the drug war, although we are open to a dialogue with them. They can observe us and we can consult with them but we will not permit them to impose their decision on us,” Clavano said.

He added that through the initiative of Secretary Remulla, a special rapporteur from the United Nations, Tidball Binz, has been invited to the country to observe the local investigations into the drug war.

“And he will be coming next month, thus the timing of the ICC is not good because we are cooperating here with the international community,” Clavano added.

He revealed that another special rapporteur, Mama Fatima Singhateh, an expert on the online sexual exploitation of children, during her visit to the Philippines last December, discovered that the country has a mechanism and processes about the investigation of online sexual exploitation.

“When he (Binz) comes here, we will show him everything, the stage or status of our investigation into the drug war,” Clavano said.

The DoJ is confident that Binz will see that “we are doing something about the matter and that we are not just turning our back, as Justice Secretary Remulla has been saying.”