Intl court prosecutor seeks to reactivate Philippines probe

By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has asked judges for authorization to resume his investigation into the so-called war on drugs in the Philippines. Judges last September authorized Prosecutor Karim Khan to investigate alleged crimes against humanity between Nov. 1, 2011 and March 16, 2019 linked to the deadly crackdown. But the probe was suspended last November after the Philippines said in a letter to ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan that it already is investigating the crimes and so the international court doesn’t have jurisdiction. Khan has now sought to resume his probe saying in a statement Friday that “I have concluded that the deferral requested by the Philippines is not warranted, and that the investigation should resume as quickly as possible.”