Vice President Sara Duterte said she trusts Atty. Nicholas Kaufman, the lawyer representing her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, in the International Criminal Court (ICC) case.
When asked by reporters, VP Sara did not give details about how Kaufman is handling the case. But she confirmed that she is confident in his preparations for the September hearing to confirm the charges.
She said her father chose Kaufman, so they will respect his decision.
“As long as former President Duterte says he wants them as his lawyers, we will follow and cooperate with the legal team,” she said.
Former President Duterte was arrested on March 11 upon arrival from Hong Kong, at the request of the ICC, over his “war on drugs” during his presidency. He was sent to The Hague in the Netherlands the same day. On March 14, he faced ICC judges via video link. His confirmation of charges hearing is set for September 23. His defense team said they will not present witnesses for this hearing.
Kaufman vs. Roque
In July, Kaufman and former presidential spokesperson Atty. Harry Roque exchanged criticisms about the case. Kaufman accused Roque of meddling and possibly harming the defense’s efforts to free Duterte.
Kaufman said a Dutch lawyer confirmed that Roque wanted to sue the Dutch government for Duterte’s detention—a plan Kaufman called a “crazy scheme” that could hurt Duterte’s case since it would require Dutch cooperation.
He advised Roque to focus on appealing the denial of his refugee status instead of interfering.
Roque denied meddling in the case. In a July 30 statement, he said his actions were meant to help bring Duterte back to the Philippines and were discussed before with VP Sara. He insisted that no one should call his ideas “crazy schemes.”
Roque added that he only offered an additional legal option outside the ICC, subject to the approval of Duterte and his family, and that VP Sara agreed to hold off on this plan until the outcome of the interim release request.
