The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court has scheduled its judgment on former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s jurisdictional challenge for April 22, setting a 6 p.m. Philippine time deadline for a ruling that could significantly affect the trajectory of his case.
Presiding Judge Luz del Carmen Ibañez of Peru signed the scheduling order, which was released on Maundy Thursday. The judgment will be delivered in open court at 11 a.m. Hague time.
Duterte’s legal team had previously argued there is “no legal basis” for the court to proceed, calling on the ICC to halt its case and order his immediate release.
At the heart of the jurisdictional dispute is a decision issued by Pre-Trial Chamber I on October 23, 2025, which Duterte’s camp has formally appealed. The charges against the former president center on alleged crimes against humanity tied to his administration’s war on drugs — a campaign that spanned both his time as Davao City mayor from 2011 to 2016 and his presidency from 2016 to 2022.
Confirmation of charges hearings concluded last February 27, though Duterte was absent after the court approved his request to waive attendance. Pre-Trial Chamber I now has 60 days from the close of those proceedings to determine whether the evidence against him is sufficient to proceed to trial.
The April 22 appeals ruling on jurisdiction will arrive while that separate evidentiary determination is still pending.
