Lawyer Nicholas Kaufman, lead counsel for former President Rodrigo Duterte, expressed support for proposals aimed at returning his client to the Philippines amid ongoing proceedings before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Kaufman acknowledged and welcomed “any initiative by any Filipino to bring the former president back home, whether it be in the Philippines Embassy — I’m not sure whether that would be possible given the current administration — or whether it be just back home.”
He made the statement during a televised interview in response to a question about Senator Alan Peter Cayetano’s resolution calling for the former president’s house arrest in the Philippines.
Kaufman confirmed that his team has filed a petition for Duterte’s interim release to an undisclosed location, while also challenging the ICC’s jurisdiction over the case. Both motions remain unresolved.
He emphasized that Duterte, like any Filipino, has the right to “to be tried in front of the Filipino court, in front of the Filipino judge, and to be prosecuted by a Filipino accuser/prosecutor.”
Kaufman also said that his team is currently examining an “immense” volume of evidence related to his crimes against humanity case before the ICC, in preparation for the September confirmation hearing.
He disclosed that the nine-man member legal is “devoted” to reviewing the evidence disclosed by the prosecution.
“So, it’s an immense amount of evidence. We have a team of about nine people, all of whom are devoted to reviewing that evidence,” he said.
“We’re all skilled in data management. We all know how to use the IT systems of the ICC, and we’re slowly but surely reviewing all of that evidence, working towards the September confirmation hearing,” he added.
According to an ICC document published on its official website, the Office of the Prosecutor submitted the 11th and 12th batches of evidence, containing some 2,315 documents. (Raymund Antonio)
