ICC freezes cash seized from Philippine President Duterte

The International Criminal Court has ordered the freezing of money seized from former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte upon his arrest, as his defense team contests a separate prosecution request to access his personal items, including keys, ahead of his trial for crimes against humanity. The court's Trial Chamber III issued the freeze order on May 28, 2026, and directed the ICC Registry to provide an inventory of items obtained from Duterte when he was arrested in Manila on March 12, 2025, and transferred to The Hague.

The defense, led by British barrister Peter Haynes, had earlier argued that the prosecution's request to freeze any seized cash was unnecessary, as the money was already in the custody of the detention center's chief custody officer and would remain there regardless of a court order. In a filing dated June 26, 2026, the defense stated that an order to freeze the funds would have no practical impact on the existing situation. The exact amount of cash seized has not been publicly disclosed.

A more recent point of contention is a prosecution request, filed on June 9, 2026, for access to several items seized from Duterte, including a set of keys. The defense has...