Rodrigo Duterte Unable To Recall Events, Places, or Even Members of his Close Family — Kaufman

Lawyer of Former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte Seeks Indefinite Adjournment of All Legal ICC Proceedings

RODRIGO DUTERTE – The former Philippine President is allegedly unable to recall events, places, or even members of his close family as per his lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman.

Former Pres. Duterte is detained under the custody of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands for around six (6) months now. It was last March 11 when the former Chief Executive was arrested by the Philippine authorities who assisted the Interpol over the reported arrest warrant issued by the ICC.

Duterte was immediately flown to Dubai en route for The Hague, Netherlands on the same day that he was arrested. Amid the criticisms, Malacañang defended Pres. Bongbong Marcos from ‘betrayal’ accusations over Duterte’s arrest saying that the government acted on the arrest in lieu of its commitment with the Interpol.

The former President celebrated his 80th birthday inside the ICC detention facility. In June, his camp requested for his interim release to an undisclosed country but, later on, they also asked the ICC to hold off in deciding over their plea as the await some information that will support their application.

The confirmation of charges of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte was set on September 23. However, Duterte’s lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, stated in a filing that his client is suffering from ‘cognitive mental impairment’. He claimed that the former President is not fit to stand trial.

The ICC postponed the confirmation of charges of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte “until further notice”. Based on a report on GMA News, Nicholas Kaufman claimed in his latest filing that the former President allegedly lacks the capacity to apply the cognitive skills that are needed for the proper conduct of his defense.

“In fact, he is not even able to process the reasons for his detention… With his impaired memory and concomitant inability to retain new information or to recall events, places, timing or even members of his close family and defense team, Mr Duterte is unable to fully understand the nature and implications of the proceedings conducted against him,” Kaufman stated.

Based on the report, former Pres. Duterte’s lawyer also stressed that his client’s “deficient memory” allegedly leaves him unable to follow the legal process and make informed decisions. Furthermore, Kaufman cited that the former President is expected to remain “static” or to “deteriorate even further”.

Recently, all four (4) Duterte siblings visited former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte inside the ICC detention facility. According to Vice Pres. Sara Duterte, it was really their father’s request for them to visit him altogether. After the said visit, the Duterte camp claimed that the ICC reminded them of the rules that prevent them from sharing information about their visits inside the ICC detention center.