Remulla confirms alleged ICC’s arrest warrant vs Dela Rosa; Duterte’s lawyer calls claims ‘fictional’

Ombudsman Jesus “Boying” Remulla revealed on Saturday, Nov. 8, that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has reportedly issued an arrest warrant against Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.

“I have it on good authority, kasi public interest na rin ito, that the ICC has issued a warrant [of arrest] against Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa,” Remulla disclosed through DZRH TV 4K, stating that the information was passed down to him before the said livestream. 

However, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said that they are still trying to verify the information.

“We have also not yet seen or received a copy of said arrest warrant. We shall provide further details as soon as it becomes available,” DOJ spokesperson Polo Martinez said.

ICC defense lawyer and Rodrigo Duterte’s lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman also dismissed the reported issuance, claiming it “a figment of Ombudsman Remulla’s fertile imagination.”

“There is nothing to suggest that the supposed arrest warrant for Senator Dela Rosa is anything other than a figment of Ombudsman Remulla’s fertile imagination,” Kaufman said in a statement. “It goes against all common sense and prosecutorial logic for the ICC to issue further warrants in the context of the Philippines investigation until the issue of its ability to exercise jurisdiction over the so-called war on drugs has been finally resolved on appeal.”

The ombudsman reiterated that the alleged offenses fall under “extraditable” crimes, meaning any ICC request for Dela Rosa’s surrender would have to follow the new rules set by the Supreme Court.

Under the Duterte administration, the senator, as the Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief, led the anti-drug campaign that linked him to alleged crimes against humanity — the same basis for former President Rodrigo Duterte’s detention by the ICC in The Hague.