Duterte lawyer seeks dialogue with Philippine government, urges supporters to trust ICC process

Metro Manila, Philippines - A lawyer for former President Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday he is seeking a dialogue with the government in Manila while awaiting a ruling from the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Duterte’s request for interim release.

Nicholas Kaufman said the defense expects the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber to act within two weeks on the motion for provisional liberty.

Duterte has been detained in an ICc facility in The Hague since March after the court issued a warrant over alleged crimes against humanity tied to thousands of killings in his anti-drug campaign.

“First of all, I would ask all the Filipinos who support the former president to put their faith in the judicial process,” Kaufman said in a livestreamed interview on the ‘Alvin and Tourism’ Facebook page.

“Second of all, keep praying for his speedy release with guarantees to the country he requests and for his speedy return to the Philippines,” he added.

Kaufman also appealed directly to the Marcosadministration.

“I have a request from the Philippines administration and government. I’m still waiting to be invited. I want to speak to you people. I want to negotiate the former president’s return now to the Philippines,” he said.

The defense has two pending motions before the court - a jurisdictional challenge and the interim release request.

Kaufman said ICC rules allow judges to rule on jurisdiction at any stage, even up to the end of the confirmation of charges hearing on Sept. 23.

On that date, prosecutors will present evidence to show that there are grounds to move Duterte’s case to trial.

Kaufman said his team is preparing a strong rebuttal but declined to give details.

He also argued prosecutors have “selectively chosen” Duterte’s past speeches.

“He made plenty of speeches which don’t necessarily support a policy of extrajudicial killing,” Kaufman said.

“We hope that the former president will be released,” he added. “We believe he should be released, and we hope that it will happen.”