ICC chief says no conflict in Duterte probe

International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan has stated that there are no grounds for his disqualification from handling the case involving former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a notification dated August 18, Khan said he thoroughly assessed whether any aspect of his prior conduct could give rise to concerns about impartiality and concluded that none exist.

The issue stems from Khan's previous role as part of a legal team representing victims of Duterte's war on drugs in 2018, which was recently raised by Duterte's defense team.

Khan argued that his earlier involvement does not mean he formed opinions about the case or its participants and further stated there is no congruence between the legal issues concerning the opening of an investigation and those applicable at the current stage of proceedings, thus finding no conflict of interest requiring his excuse from the situation.

He also noted that a request to disqualify a prosecutor can only be made when a 'case' exists before the court, which is currently not the case since the situation remains in the investigation phase.

In May, Khan temporarily stepped aside from his position due to an ongoing United Nations investigation into alleged sexual misconduct.