Duterte Son Files Kidnapping, Abduction Charges Against Remulla, Others
MANILA, Philippines – Sebastian Duterte, son of former President Rodrigo Duterte, hasโ filed a 160-page affidavit-complaint โalleging kidnapping and abduction against Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla and other officials, stemming fromโข his โคfather’s detention and subsequent transfer to the Netherlandsโ in march โฃ2025.
The complaint details the events of March 11, 2025, whenโ the former president was allegedly illegally arrested upon arrival at NAIA Terminal 3 from Hong Kong. According to the affidavit, officials presented only an Interpol diffusion notice – not a valid arrest warrant or Red Notice – and disregarded requests from Duterte’s lawyers andโ family, including vice President Sara Duterte, for access andโฃ legal documentation.
The complaint further alleges that the former president, who suffers from diabetes, was deniedโข immediate medical attention โdespite a doctor’s certification warning of life-threatening complications. Heโฃ and his entourage โwere reportedly detained โฃat Villamor Airbase for hours before being flown to the Netherlandsโ via a chartered Gulfstream jet (tail number RP-C5129) withoutโ a Philippine court order or valid extradition process.
Sebastian Duterte, filing on behalf of hisโ father who remains detained abroad, argues that the International Criminal court (ICC) lost jurisdiction over the Philippines following the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute in 2019. Heโค accuses the respondents of violating numerous โฃlaws,citing command responsibility and direct participation.
The โฃfiling comes shortly after Senatorโข Imee โMarcos filed a motion for reconsideration on an earlier Ombudsman decision dismissing her complaint against the same officials regarding theโฃ former president’s arrest. Marcos maintains her case against Remulla and others remains active, despite the Ombudsman’s September 12 dismissal of the complaints, confirmed โขby Remulla and Interior and local Government Secretaryโค Jonvicโฃ Remulla. Marcos stated she filed the motion for reconsideration the same day the decision was issued, within the legally allowed five-day period.
Justice โขSecretary Remulla โpreviously stated, “We acted in accordance with internationalโข legal processes and our domestic laws, โขincluding Republic Act 9851. The portrayal of these events is a complete distortion aimed at sowing political discord.” He characterizedโ the โขallegations as a “political spectacle designed to attack my credibility.”
