New Filing Made by Duterte’s Lawyer Citing Former President’s ‘Cognitive Impairment’
Duterte’s lawyer Nicholas Kaufman requested the International Criminal Court (ICC) to adjourn all legal proceedings immediately.
Since March, former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is under the custody of the ICC. He was arrested by the Philippine authorities who assisted the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) upon his arrival from Hong Kong.
Former Pres. Duterte is faced with an accusation of crimes against humanity over the war on drugs of his administration. His arrest and the transfer of his custody to the ICC has caused political turmoil in the Philippine government.
Initially, the confirmation of charges against the former President is set on September 23. However, Nicholas Kaufman, Duterte’s lawyer, claimed that former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte is ‘not fit to stand trial’, thus, the ICC ruled to postpone it. There are still no details as to when it will be conducted.
Recently, Duterte’s lawyer made another filing to the ICC as revealed by the foreign court. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, British-Israeli lawyer Nicholas Kaufman requests the ICC to adjourn all legal proceedings involving his client indefinitely.
Based on the report, Kaufman cited that Duterte is suffering from ‘cognitive impairment in multiple domains’ allegedly leaving him unfit to stand trial. According to the British-Israeli Lawyer, no further medical examination is needed.
“Mr Duterte’s condition will not improve and, for this reason, the Pre-Trial Chamber must adjourn all legal proceedings in his case indefinitely,” Duterte’s lawyer stated in the filing.
According to Kaufman, they have already submitted extensive medical information and have regularly updated the ICC on the “deteriorating cognitive condition” of the 80-year-old former President.
“Mr. Duterte suffers from significant cognitive deficiencies that affect his memory, his daily executive functioning, his visuoconstructive abilities, and his orientation to place and time while, simultaneously, limiting his capacity for complex reasoning,” Duterte’s lawyer stated.
Based on the report, lawyer Nicholas Kaufman also stated in his filing that former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s competence had been questioned as early as March 14 during his initial appearance. He noted the former President’s “noticeable drowsiness” during the proceeding.
The filing came three (3) days after the ICC announced the postponement of Duterte’s ICC confirmation of charges. Previously, Kaufman expressed his hope that the Marcos administration will allow his client’s return to the Philippines. Marcos Jr.’s top Cabinet official spoke on the request for Duterte’s return to PH.