Former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s Lead Counsel Speaks on ICC Case of Client
Duterte’s lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman believes that the jurisdictional argument “should succeed” before the confirmation of charges before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Not only the sudden appearance of Harry Roque in The Hague after months of hiding drew attention but as well as his announcement that he will be part of the legal team of the former President. Malacañang reacted to it saying he should defend himself first before others.
Harry Roque promised to bring Duterte back to the Philippines. According to him, he will seek asylum in the Netherlands as he defends the former President on the accusations against him before the ICC. He is one of the few Filipino lawyers who are accredited by the ICC.
However, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte issued a statement contrary to the claim of the former spokesman of her father. Vice Pres. Sara Duterte announced that Harry Roque and former executive Salvador Medialdea won’t be part of her father’s legal team.
Medialdea was one of the three (3) people who accompanied Duterte in the plane to The Hague, Netherlands. He was also the legal counsel of Duterte during his initial appearance before the pre-trial chamber of the ICC. However, at Netherlands, he fell ill and had to undergo an emergency heart procedure.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte said that she really wants the lawyers that will make up the legal team of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte to really be focusing in the case. As for Roque, the Vice President said he must focus on his application for asylum first.
Duterte’s lead counsel is British-Israeli lawyer Nicholas Kaufman. The other members of the ICC legal team of the former Philippine President have yet to be revealed.
Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, Atty. Nicholas Kaufman is confident on their jurisdictional argument. Duterte’s lead counsel stressed that it is really an expected issue at the pre-trial.
“Coming back to the jurisdictional point, obviously you don’t need to be the dean of a law faculty to realize that that’s going to be a huge issue at pre-trial,” Kaufman said.
Based on the report, Duterte’s lead counsel admitted that he will be disappointed in case their camp’s jurisdictional argument won’t succeed. The 56-year-old lawyer expressed his hope that they will be able to convince the ICC judges that they cannot enforce their jurisdiction over the case.
“I think that the jurisdictional argument is compelling as defense counsel. I believe that it should succeed and I would be hugely disappointed if it doesn’t succeed,” Duterte’s lead counsel said.
Previously, the International Criminal Court or ICC which welcomed the arrest of Duterte cited in the arrest warrant that there were alleged crimes that took place before the former President has removed the Philippines from being a member of the Rome Statute.