Duterte Defense Fights ICC Bid for Seized Keys, Cites Family Privacy

The legal team for former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte pushed back against an International Criminal Court prosecution request for access to keys and other personal items seized after his arrest. In a June 26 filing, lead counsel Peter Haynes called the request a “fishing expedition” that arrived “far too late” in the proceedings.

The dispute centers on materials taken from Duterte after his March 12, 2025 transfer to the ICC. The prosecution filed its request on June 9, 2026, seeking “all keys in the Registry’s custody,” according to a public redacted version of the Registry’s observations submitted June 25.

The defense argued that granting the request could intrude on the privacy of third parties, specifically Duterte’s relatives. The keys were seized while the former president traveled with his family. They “may provide access to material belonging to, or concerning, his relatives,” the lawyers wrote.

The defense also pointed out that the prosecution had known about the seized items since March 14, 2025, when the Registry submitted its initial arrest report. The existing chain-of-custody documentation already provides an official inventory, they argued, making the additional request unnecessary.