(UPDATE) THE Office of Public Counsel for Victims (OPCV) has urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to reject former president Rodrigo Duterte’s plea for an indefinite suspension of proceedings in his crimes a gainst humanity case, while backing the formation of an independent medical panel to assess his mental and cognitive fitness to stand trial.

In separate filings made public this week, OPCV Principal Counsel Paolina Massidda argued that Duterte’s defense failed to meet the stringent legal threshold required for an indefinite stay of proceedings, saying that the medical submissions presented were “inconclusive” and insufficient to prove that he is unfit to participate in court hearings.