MANILA — The International Criminal Court (ICC) has rejected a request from former president Rodrigo Duterte to disclose correspondence between the ICC Registry and medical experts assessing his fitness to stand trial.

In a five-page resolution dated Dec. 23, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I said the disclosure sought by Duterte’s lawyers was unnecessary, noting that the defense already has access to essential information on how the expert panel was engaged.

“The Chamber notes that, in the Panel’s Reports, the Experts consistently refer to the Chamber’s instructions and relevant materials that have guided them in the preparation of their reports,” the chamber said.

“Further recalling that the Registry is a neutral organ of the Court, whose main role in the present case was to liaise with the Experts to transmit the Chamber’s instructions, the Chamber considers that, without further substantiation from the Defence, the disclosure of ‘all communications between the Registry and the three experts’ is not warranted,” it added.

The ruling followed a petition filed by Duterte’s lawyers in August 2025 seeking an indefinite postponement of proceedings, claiming the former president suffered from cognitive impairment and could not participate in trial activities.

The chamber noted that clear directives had already been issued on specific documents the registry was required to provide the medical panel, and the defense has full access to those materials.

On October 23, the ICC affirmed its jurisdiction over Duterte despite the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute in 2018. Duterte faces three counts of crimes against humanity—murder—in connection with alleged extrajudicial killings during his anti-drug campaign as president and his earlier tenure as mayor of Davao City.