Nicholas Kaufman, Duterte’s Lawyer, Speaks on ICC Case of Former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte
Duterte’s lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, reportedly accused President Bongbong Marcos as the alleged “real prosecutor” in the International Criminal Court (ICC) case of the former President.
Former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte is currently detained in The Hague, Netherlands for more than a month now. The former President was arrested last March 11 following the reported issuance of an arrest warrant against him by the ICC.
Duterte is faced with an allegation of crimes against humanity over his war on drugs. Previously, the ICC said that the prosecution team is set to present over 8,500 pages of written evidence against Duterte.
Contrary to the claim of former presidential spokesman Harry Roque that he will be part of the ICC legal team of the former President, no Filipino lawyer is part of the ICC legal team of Duterte.
British-Israeli lawyer Nicholas Kaufman is the lead counsel of the ICC legal team of the former President. Duterte’s lawyer has repeatedly asserted that former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte must have been tried in the Philippines.
Furthermore, Duterte’s lawyer also previously expressed his confidence on the jurisdictional argument of their camp. The confirmation of charges against the former President is scheduled on September 23.
Recently, Nicholas Kaufman reportedly made an accusation against Pres. Bongbong Marcos. Based on a report on Manila Bulletin, Duterte’s lawyer tagged Marcos Jr. as the alleged “real prosecutor” behind the ICC case of the former President.
“The real prosecutor in this case is actually in Manila, sitting in his Palace. He’s the person who threw President Duterte over here to The Hague. He’s the person who used the Office of the Prosecutor as a tool in his political campaign, and it won’t work,” Duterte’s lawyer said.
Kaufman further expressed that the election results wherein former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte won mayor in Davao City allegedly showed the people’s dissatisfaction over his arrest. Based on the report, he called it “protest vote” and he also cited his huge votes in the election.
“The former president won a landslide victory. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a finger in the eye to the people who threw him over here,” Duterte’s lawyer expressed.
The lawyers of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte cited the “letter” of Pres. Bongbong Marcos to Vice Pres. Sara Duterte in their previous submission. The Philippine President faced massive criticisms following Duterte’s arrest.