ICC-Accredited Lawyer Speaks on Duterte’s Lead Counsel Nicholas Kaufman’s Requirements from Victims
DUTERTE’S LEAD COUNSEL – Filipino ICC lawyer Joel Butuyan claimed that lawyer Nicholas Kaufman allegedly has no knowledge of the Philippine situation.
The legal team of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte has been finalized. It is led by British-Israeli lawyer Nicholas Kaufman. Recently, the ICC registry revealed that French lawyer Dov Jacobs is also part of the legal team of Duterte.
Duterte’s lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman is confident about their jurisdictional argument. According to the British-Israeli lawyer, if they will be able to convince the judge that the ICC has no jurisdiction in the Philippines, there might be no need for the proceedings to get to the confirmation of charges.
The confirmation of charges is set on September 23. Last March 15, Duterte made his initial appearance before the pre-trial chamber of the ICC remotely. He was represented by his assigned legal counsel, former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea.
Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, an ICC-accredited lawyer, Joel Butuyan, reacted to the request of Duterte’s lead counsel to the International Criminal Court. The Filipino lawyer claimed that Kaufman allegedly has no knowledge of the situation in the country with the kind of identification documents that he wants the ICC to require from the victims.
Kaufman urged the ICC to require a national ID from the victims and/or a passport containing up-to-date photographs. According to the British-Israeli lawyer, it will prevent cases of misrepresentation, fraud, and double counting.
“Mr. Kaufman’s comment on the IDs of the victims of his client comes from someone who obviously has no knowledge at all of the Philippine situation,” Butuyan said.
Based on the report, the ICC-accredited Pinoy lawyer also expressed that the request of Duterte’s lead counsel comes from “someone who is totally ignorant” of the kind of people who are the alleged victims of his clients. He stressed that the IDs that Kaufman wants are documents that are “badges of wealth and privilege” in the country.
“For the information of Mr. Kaufman, the victims come from the poorest of the poor who do not have passports, driver’s licenses, SSS, GSIS, or any professional license,” he said.
The International Criminal Court has not issued any comment on the reported request of the Duterte camp over the verification process of the victims. With regards to the expenses of the victims, previously, a lawyer claimed that the ICC, not the Philippine government, will shoulder the expenses of the victims in the Duterte case.
Recently, Fadi el Abdallah, the spokesman of the ICC, confirmed that there is an ongoing investigation of the personalities linked in Duterte’s drug war.