Lead counsel of Rodrigo Duterte asserts he is innocent.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte is innocent, according to his lead defense counsel, Atty. Nicholas Kaufman.
“Pack up your bags because Rodrigo Duterte is innocent,” says Atty. Nicholas Kaufman, the lead defense counsel of former President Rodrigo Duterte during the recent confirmation of charges hearing in the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In the previous hearing, ICC Deputy Prosecutor Mandiaye Niang delivered the opening statement and expressed that Duterte is “criminally responsible” for three counts of murder and attempted murder as crimes against humanity.
Prosecutors from the International Criminal Court have charged Duterte with three counts of crimes against humanity, alleging his role in at least 76 killings carried out between 2013 and 2018.
In the recent hearing, his lead legal counsel said that the former president is innocent when he concluded part of his submissions during the ICC confirmation of charges hearing on its third day. He reiterated the defense’s stance that the prosecution failed to prove the existence of a common criminal plan or any essential contribution on Duterte’s part.
He expressed that there are no witnesses in the 49 killing incidents cited by the ICC prosecution who testify to receiving a direct order to kill from the former president.
Kaufman asserted that former President Duterte should not remain in detention, arguing that the prosecution has failed to establish “substantial grounds” in connection with the case against him. He also argued that he is old, tired, frail, and memory-fading as reasons to justify why he should not be in custody when the evidence is so weak.
To recall, the legal proceedings had been on hold for a few months since September 2025. The confirmations of charges officially started on February 23 and will run until the 27th of this month.
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