- Baste seeks to make DOJ secretary accountable over FPRRD’s arrest
ACTING Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte filed a disbarment complaint against Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro for the arrest and the alleged kidnapping of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
The complaint, filed on Thursday, Oct. 2, named both cabinet officials, along with other high-ranking government officials, for their alleged roles in the “illegal arrest and extra-judicial rendition” of the former President to The Hague, Netherlands.
Duterte’s lawyer, Atty. Israelito Torreon filed the disbarment complaint, accusing the officials of violating the Philippine Constitution and the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability for lawyers.
In an interview with the media, Torreon confirmed the nature of the case without detailing specifics, stating it is “related to the kidnapping as well as expulsion of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte towards The Hague, Netherlands.”
The complaint named as respondents Remulla, Teodoro, DOJ Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty, and Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon.
The younger Duterte maintained that the circumstances surrounding the arrest and transfer of the former President to the International Criminal Court (ICC) constitute grave breaches of law and professional ethical standards.
Remulla has a pending application for the Office of the Ombudsman position following the retirement of former Associate Justice Samuel Martires on July 27, 2025. The Judicial Bar Council, which shortlists the names, requires that the applicant must have no pending cases to be considered for the post.
