Hiniling ng Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) sa Supreme Court na ibasura ang petisyon ni Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa na pigilan ang arrest warrant laban sa kanya ng International Criminal Court (ICC).
Sa 83-page comment na may petsang May 16, sinabi ng OSG na nananatiling committed ang Pilipinas sa international law at sa pananagutan ng mga dapat managot.
“The law was never intended to provide an excuse for evasion, nor to become a weapon wielded only by those with power. It exists so that even the voiceless dead, whose cries never reached a courtroom, are not forgotten by justice. No amount of technical reasoning can disguise the absence of justice,” saad ng comment ng OSG.
Kaugnay ang ICC warrant sa papel umano ni Dela Rosa sa anti-illegal drugs campaign ng Duterte administration.
Batay sa legal precedents, sinabi ng OSG na may “conscious avoidance of lawful legal accountability” si Dela Rosa at tinawag siyang “fugitive from justice” na umiiwas sa international arrest warrant.
Ayon sa OSG, ang kilos umano ni Dela Rosa na “flight and deliberate intent to evade prosecution should, thus, be taken against him, and should be considered a waiver of his right to adduce evidence and participate in the criminal case against him because a fugitive from justice loses his standing in court and is not entitled to seek relief from the courts.”
Nauna nang lumitaw si Dela Rosa sa Senado noong May 11 matapos ang anim na buwang hindi pagpapakita sa publiko sa gitna ng mga ulat tungkol sa ICC arrest warrant.
Inilagay siya sa Senate custody at nanatili sa gusali ng Senado nang ilang araw. Noong May 14, umalis siya ilang oras matapos ang gunfire incident sa Senado noong nakaraang gabi.
Dahil dito, sinabi ng OSG na inilagay ni Dela Rosa ang sarili niya sa labas ng proteksyon ng batas.
“Until he submits himself to lawful authorities, he must be deemed a fugitive from justice and should not be allowed to seek any relief from the courts,” saad ng OSG. /Bistado