The defense of former president Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court has asked Trial Chamber III to reject a report associated with an unnamed prosecution witness, arguing that the testimony does not add substantial value to the case.
The request was made in response to the prosecution’s Oct. 19 application to admit statements and supporting materials from witnesses identified as P-0024, P-1357 and P-1359. Their accounts concern an alleged policy of “neutralizing” suspected criminals through violent acts, including murder.
In a six-page filing, Duterte’s defense asked the judges to exclude a report presented through the testimony of P-1357, arguing that her primary purpose as a witness was to facilitate the admission of the document.
“Her testimony is entirely peripheral, as it does not address the substance of [redacted] research, the allegations made, or the findings reached,” the defense said.
“Her testimony, therefore, adds nothing of substance to the evidence in this case and there is no justification for retaining her on the witness list,” it added.
The defense also said it would not cross-examine P-1357 because of the “marginal relevance” of her testimony.
It argued that the report itself was cited only sparingly, with reference to a handful of pages, underscoring the “negligible significance” of the material to the case.
The defense, however, did not oppose the admission of the statements of P-0024 and P-1359. It also waived cross-examination of P-0024.
Trial Chamber III has yet to rule on the prosecution’s applications and the defense’s objections.
Duterte remains detained at the Scheveningen prison in The Hague, Netherlands, ahead of his trial scheduled to begin on Nov. 30.
