00:00Even if it is not yet regulated, assets or property can be freezed by an international criminal court
00:09to make sure that there is a payment of damages for the victims.
00:13Although there is a complication, in countries that are no longer members of the ICC,
00:18there is a legal way according to Malacanang to enforce the freeze order.
00:24Ian Cruz is on the case.
00:27In principle, it is the person declared guilty who has to compensate for his or her responsibility in the commission of the crimes.
00:37Because an international criminal court or ICC has declared a person guilty,
00:42it is responsible to pay the victims.
00:44Even if the case is still ongoing, it is possible to freeze the assets or property of a suspect.
00:52Based on the website of the ICC, the Office of the Prosecutor or OTP
00:56will find the financial information of a suspect from the beginning of the hearing.
01:01If a warrant of arrest or summons to appear is issued,
01:05a request for the identification, tracing, and freezing of the property and assets of the suspect can be issued.
01:12The registry or the one that performs the non-judicial functions of the ICC
01:17is responsible for finding and recovering the assets of the suspect
01:21and will request help from the states and intergovernmental organizations to compensate.
01:27But there is a complication if the country is not in compliance with the Rome Statute
01:31where the freeze of the assets of the suspect will be requested,
01:36according to Attorney Gilbert Andres, one of the five Filipino lawyers on the list of counsel of the ICC.
01:42These assets, when it's in the Philippines, it needs the cooperation of the Philippine domestic authorities.
01:49If it's outside, if it's not a non-state party, it's not obligated to cooperate under the Rome Statute.
01:57But if the government has a political will, there is still a legal way
02:01for the freeze order to be executed if the ICC refuses, said Palacio.
02:06If there will be an issue or the ICC will issue an order,
02:12we will teach it, we will give it to AMLOC if it's necessary.
02:17Doesn't this mean that the Philippine government will cooperate with the ICC?
02:22That's why we will send it to AMLOC.
02:24But AMLOC is under the Philippine government.
02:27Yes, but if there's a need for that, AMLOC doesn't refuse.
02:31So if there's a need to give reparation damages to the victims,
02:37justice should be given.
02:39Meanwhile, the former Chief Presidential Legal Counsel, Salvador Manelo,
02:43aside from the lack of a legal basis for the freeze order,
02:47there's no need to freeze because the former president is poor.
02:51In the last SAL-E issued to the public in 2017,
02:54the former president has a net worth of more than P28 million.
02:59His last SAL-N was not published.
03:01According to the ICC,
03:03most of the time, in the scope of the crime,
03:06the recovered assets of the accused are not enough.
03:09But the court has a trust fund that can be used for various kinds of support for the victims.
03:16For GMI Integrated News, Iancruz, Katutok, 24 Hours.
03:29For GMI Integrated News, Iancruz, Katutok, 24 Hours.
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