MANILA, Philippines — The Presidency of the International Criminal Court (ICC) formed a trial chamber that would take on the case of former president Rodrigo Duterte, accordng to a decision released on April 24, 2026 but made public only on Tuesday.
The move follows Pre-Trial Chamber I’s confirmation of charges against Duterte on April 23.
Under the latest decision, Trial Chamber III has been reconstituted and will be composed of Judge Joanna Korner, Judge Keebong Paek, and Judge Nicolas Guillou.
The ICC Presidency noted that the chamber had previously been dissolved but was reactivated as part of measures to balance judicial workload, expedite proceedings, and improve overall court management.
The Presidency acted pursuant to Article 61(11) of the Rome Statute, which requires the constitution of a trial chamber once charges have been confirmed. Rule 130 of the ICC’s Rules of Procedure and Evidence further mandates the referral of the case and transmission of the confirmation decision and complete case record to the assigned chamber.
In constituting the chamber, the Presidency cited several considerations, including statutory requirements, workload distribution across the court, the need to expedite proceedings, prior judicial involvement in related matters, and the judges’ respective experience and expertise.
