THE International Criminal Court (ICC) has granted prosecutors’ request to examine items seized from former president Rodrigo Duterte following his surrender to the court but denied their bid to inspect all keys found among his personal belongings and ordered that any cash in the seized items be preserved against devaluation.
The decision, issued by Trial Chamber III on May 28, 2026, and released in a redacted public version on July 3, stemmed from an application filed by the Office of the Prosecutor on May 1, seeking access to materials taken into the custody of the ICC Registry after Duterte was surrendered to the court on March 12, 2025.
Duterte remains detained at the ICC Detention Center and is scheduled to stand trial beginning Nov. 30, 2026, on three counts of crimes against humanity for murder and attempted murder allegedly committed in connection with his administration’s anti-illegal drugs campaign between Nov. 1, 2011, and March 16, 2019.
The prosecution sought three forms of relief concerning Duterte’s belongings, which were transferred to the Registry after his arrest.
First, prosecutors requested authority to inspect specific items recovered from Duterte’s belongings, arguing there were reasonable grounds to believe they had been used in relation to the alleged crimes and could yield evidence relevant to the investigation. The exact nature of the items remains redacted in the public version of the ruling.
Trial Chamber III granted that request, finding that examining the materials was “necessary and proportionate to the legitimate investigative needs” of the prosecution and that there were reasonable grounds to believe the search could produce evidence necessary to the investigation.
The judges, however, imposed safeguards to protect Duterte’s privacy. They ordered prosecutors to take all necessary measures to limit access to the accused’s personal information and to submit a report within one month of receiving the materials detailing the steps taken to safeguard that information.
The chamber also considered the prosecution’s request to obtain a complete inventory of all items held by the Registry and, after reviewing that inventory, to gain access to any additional materials deemed relevant to the investigation.
It partially granted the request by directing the Registry to reclassify its confidential observations and the accompanying inventory so that they would be accessible not only to the defense and the Registry but also to the prosecution.
However, the judges declined to immediately authorize access to any additional materials contained in the seized items, saying such a request was premature because prosecutors had not yet reviewed the inventory. They said the prosecution could return with a more specific application after examining the list.
The chamber likewise granted prosecutors’ request to preserve any money found among Duterte’s belongings, ordering the Registry to take appropriate measures to prevent any cash from losing value.