ICC rejects Duterte defense bid for expert verification of evidence

September 29, 2026

By ABOGADO.COM.PH Staff

The International Criminal Court (ICC) Trial Chamber III has rejected a request from former President Rodrigo Duterte’s defense team to require expert verification of open-source and user-generated evidence before it is submitted at trial.

In its latest decision in the case, the chamber said the proposed amendment to the E-Court Protocol could require additional materials and potentially delay the start of the trial.

The defense had sought the addition of an “Expert Verification” metadata field to the electronic court system by citing concerns over the prosecution’s voluminous evidence, including duplicate and poor-quality materials.

The chamber noted that the prosecution’s evidence list alone contains more than 15,000 items, excluding potentially exculpatory evidence and other materials.

However, the judges said the requested requirement was unnecessary because the chamber had already ordered the parties to avoid repetitive, irrelevant and excessive evidence.

The chamber also said the defense may raise concerns about the admissibility or reliability of individual evidence when it is submitted after which the prosecution may provide supporting materials, including expert verification, when necessary.

Meanwhile, the chamber granted a separate request from the prosecution to add a URL metadata field to the E-Court Protocol and ordered the Registry to file the amended protocol by Oct. 2.#