MANILA – Former President Rodrigo Duterte never tried to seek asylum in China prior to his March 11 arrest in the Philippines based on a warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to one of his legal counsels.
Silvestre Bello III said he was with the former Chief Executive in an event in Hong Kong earlier this month and he was not informed of such plans.
“There was never an attempt on the part of the President to seek asylum. Otherwise, as his counsel, he should have informed me,” Bello said in an interview over the weekend.
Bello also pointed to former President Duterte’s speech before overseas Filipino workers in Hong Kong where he mentioned the ICC warrant and said he would let himself be arrested.
A recent report from GMA News, quoting an unnamed source, said that the former President tried to run to China to escape the ICC warrant, but it rejected his request.
Based on the report, Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) had wanted to arrest Duterte in Hong Kong, but Hong Kong authorities did not want to cooperate with Interpol.
It also said four PNP-CIDG agents followed Duterte’s movements in Hong Kong, while six members of the Hong Kong police made sure he boarded his flight to the Philippines.
Meanwhile, Presidential Communications Office’s Undersecretary Claire Castro said the Palace do not have an information on reports that Duterte requested asylum in China before his arrest.
“Wala po kaming ganoong impormasyon na natanggap. Hindi po iyon ang mga lumalabas na info,” Castro said. “The information we know was pauwi siya mula sa Hong Kong. ‘Yun lang”.
On March 7, Duterte traveled to Hong Kong to participate in an event with overseas Filipino workers, coinciding with the issuance of an arrest warrant by the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber 1 on the same day.
Upon his return to the Philippines on March 11, Duterte was apprehended by local authorities. He was subsequently placed on a chartered flight bound for The Hague in the Netherlands to address the charges before the ICC.
The former president faces allegations of crimes against humanity linked to fatalities resulting from his anti-drug campaign./PN
