International Criminal Court (ICC) appeals judges have removed chief prosecutor Karim Khan from the war crimes case involving former President Rodrigo Duterte due to a potential conflict of interest, according to a court document obtained by Reuters.
This decision represents another significant setback for Khan, who stepped down in May amid a United Nations investigation into accusations of sexual misconduct against him. He is now prohibited from participating in the Duterte case, which stands as the court’s sole major ongoing trial and is already under strain from US sanctions.
In August, Duterte’s defense team requested Khan’s removal, claiming that his communication with the court on behalf of victims affected by Duterte’s anti-drug campaign created a conflict of interest.
The defense argued that Khan should be excluded because of his previous role representing the Philippines Human Rights Commission (PHRC) in identifying Duterte as a principal suspect, raising concerns over the impartiality of his investigation, according to the ruling seen by Reuters.
Duterte, who served from 2016 until 2022, was detained in The Hague in March after an arrest warrant accused him of involvement in killings related to his campaign against drugs, during which thousands of alleged users and dealers were reportedly killed.
He has consistently contended that his arrest was illegal and constitutes kidnapping.
The case against Duterte, now aged 80 and whose legal team claims he is incapable of standing trial, is currently managed by deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang, who herself faces US sanctions linked to the court’s probe into alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
Last November, ICC judges issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defense minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza conflict.
In a separate matter, Khan was instructed in August to step aside from an investigation concerning Venezuela because his sister-in-law acts as a criminal lawyer for the government of President Nicolas Maduro, posing a conflict of interest.
Khan’s legal representatives have rejected all charges of sexual misconduct related to the ongoing inquiry.
Original article: gmanetwork.com
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