MANILA: The Philippines said it has asked the country´s Supreme Court to allow it to arrest ex-president Rodrigo Duterte´s chief drug war enforcer to stand trial in an international tribunal.
The International Criminal Court last week unsealed an arrest warrant against Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, accusing him along with Duterte and other “co-perpetrators” of the “crime against humanity of murder”.
Dela Rosa briefly sought refuge in the Senate last week while asking the Philippine Supreme Court to stop an ongoing attempt by government agents to arrest him.
“By his own conduct, he has placed himself outside the protection of the law,” the government´s chief lawyer, Solicitor-General Darlene Berberabe, said in a filing that asked the court to dismiss Dela Rosa´s petition.
“Until he submits himself to lawful authorities, he must be deemed a fugitive from justice and should not be allowed to seek any relief from the courts,” said the document, dated May 16 but only made available to the media on Sunday.
Dela Rosa´s current whereabouts were unknown after he discreetly left the Senate building on Thursday.
