Rodrigo Duterte's lawyers petition ICC to reduce massive evidence file

Legal defense teams for former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte have petitioned the International Criminal Court (ICC) to significantly reduce the volume of prosecution evidence. The defense requested that the Trial Chamber compel prosecutors to pare down the case record from over 62,000 items to a maximum of 10,000 items by October 7, 2026.

Lawyers argued that the current volume of evidence—which includes more than 320,000 pages of documents and 1,000 audio-visual items—is unmanageable. They estimated that reviewing the material once would require approximately 16,000 person-hours, a burden they claim cannot be met before the trial begins on November 30, 2026. The defense noted that the prosecution’s disclosures increased nearly twelvefold from the initial confirmation phase.

Beyond the sheer quantity, the defense cited structural issues with the evidence, including incorrectly labeled documents, duplicates, illegible materials, and audio-visual files lacking transcripts. They contend these flaws hinder their ability to assess vital evidence and locate potentially exculpatory material. Duterte is facing trial for crimes against humanity related to his anti-drug campaigns during his time as Davao City mayor and as president.