Atty. Harry Roque Still Hopes To Be Part of Duterte’s Legal Team
HARRY ROQUE – The former presidential Spokesman that he has a pending case to visit former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
The next phase of the trial of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte before the International Criminal Court is set on September 23. It is scheduled for the confirmation of the charges against the former President but his lead counsel, Nicholas Kaufman, hopes there will be no need to reach that point.
Duterte’s lead counsel expressed his confidence on their jurisdictional argument. According to the British-Israeli lawyer, if he will be able to convince the judges that the ICC has no jurisdiction in the Philippines, there might be no need to proceed to the actual trial.
The other members of the legal team of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte has yet to be named. Previously, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte said that Harry Roque and Salvador Medialdea won’t be part of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s ICC legal team.
According to Vice Pres. Duterte, they want the lawyers who are part of the legal team of her father to really be focusing on his ICC case. She stressed that Roque should focus on his application for asylum at the Netherlands first.
Countless people were shocked when Harry Roque appeared at The Hague, Netherlands following the transfer of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s custody to the ICC. He was not seen in public for several months since September last year when the House of Representatives issued an arrest warrant for contempt.
Roque previously claimed that he will part of Duterte’s ICC legal team. Following the pronouncement of VP Sara, the former presidential spokesman said that it is her call on who will defend her father before the ICC case. However, based on a report on PhilStar, he is still hoping to be part of his ICC legal team.
Harry Roque revealed that he has a pending case with Duterte’s lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman to visit the former President in his detention cell. Based on the report, he explained that he cannot visit the former President without the consent of his lead counsel.
“I’m still hoping to see the (former) president as it is he who will approve his legal counsels,” the former presidential spokesman said.
Based on the report, Roque is confident that the interim release of Duterte will be granted. Previously, Harry Roque said that he cannot be deported to the Philippines as he is an asylum seeker in Netherlands now.