The Philippines’ solicitor general has urged the Supreme Court to reject a legal attempt by fugitive Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa seeking to block his arrest and extradition to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
On May 11, the ICC unsealed a warrant dated November 6 for Dela Rosa’s arrest, charging him with crimes against humanity linked to former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody “war on drugs.” Dela Rosa subsequently fled into his office in the Senate, before slipping out of the building before dawn on Thursday. His whereabouts are currently unknown.
The senator also filed three petitions to the Supreme Court, requesting that it stop authorities from arresting him and surrendering him to the ICC.
In a 74-page comment filed on Saturday and made public yesterday, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) described Dela Rosa as a “fugitive” and argued that his bid lacks any legal basis.
The OSG stated that the Philippines “will never become a sanctuary for impunity for the narrow and universally condemned class of atrocities known as crimes against humanity,” and added that the country may enforce the ICC warrant under a domestic law, Republic Act 9851, which allows authorities to surrender suspects accused of grave international crimes to international courts for prosecution.
