VP Sara condemns dad's ICC arrest as 'state kidnapping', expects impeachment

Vice President Sara Duterte condemned her father's arrest by Philippine authorities acting on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant, calling it 'state kidnapping' and suggesting it was politically motivated ahead of the 2025 midterm elections.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte was forcibly taken from Ninoy Aquino International Airport upon returning from Hong Kong where he met with PDP senatorial candidates, arriving at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City around 10 p.m., and placed under police custody.

Vice President Sara Duterte said Tuesday night that she expects to be the 'next target' of the ICC after her father's arrest and faces four impeachment cases due to alleged mishandling of confidential funds and involvement in extrajudicial killings during his administration’s drug war.

Malacanang on Wednesday rejected Vice President Sara Duterte's characterization of her father's arrest as a 'state kidnapping', stating that it was a lawful action based on an ICC warrant issued by the court.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte left for The Hague aboard a Gulfstream G550 jet accompanied by his personal staff at 11:03 p.m., amid claims that he should have been transferred to a local court first, and arrived in Dubai en route to The Hague.

Vice President Sara Duterte departed Manila on Wednesday morning bound for Amsterdam to seek access to her father who is now in custody in Scheveningen Prison, The Hague.