MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has informed Pre-Trial Chamber I that it takes no position on a request from the defense of former president Rodrigo Duterte to disqualify the external legal representatives for the victims.
In a public redacted filing dated Feb.16, 2026, Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang confirmed the Prosecution’s neutral stance on the "Defense Request for the Disqualification of the External Legal Representatives for the Victims."
The one-page response, submitted pursuant to a Chamber order, also contained a significant disclosure regarding the evidence the Prosecution intended to use in the upcoming proceedings against Duterte.
According to the filing, the OTP confirmed that it would not rely on two specific pieces of evidence, which remained redacted in the public version, during the confirmation of charges hearing. The Prosecution further stated that it did not intend to rely on that same redacted material at trial.
The document was classified as confidential by the Prosecution, citing regulation 23bis(1) and (2) of the Regulations of the Court. The OTP argued that the confidential classification is necessary as the filing contains "sensitive information which could impact the security of Prosecution witnesses and ongoing investigations." It also noted that the response corresponded to a defense filing with the same confidentiality level.
