Former President Rodrigo Duterte has firmly barred his former presidential spokesman, Harry Roque, from meddling in his ongoing case before the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to Duterte’s defense counsel, Atty. Nicholas Kaufman.
In a recently published transcript shared via the Alvin & Tourism Facebook page, Kaufman asserted that neither Duterte nor anyone close to him regards Roque as part of the legal team.
“The former President has made it known that Roque should stop interfering in his case and return to the Philippines to sort out his own troubling legal issues,” Kaufman said.
Kaufman revealed that a Dutch lawyer informed him of Roque’s alleged intent to sue the Netherlands for its involvement in Duterte’s potential transfer to The Hague following the ICC’s issuance of an arrest warrant in the Philippines.
Kaufman slammed the idea as “crazy,” arguing that suing the Dutch government would undermine any effort to negotiate Duterte’s release.
“The release of the former President would require the cooperation of the Dutch Government – something unlikely to be forthcoming if they are being sued by the person concerned,” he explained.
According to Kaufman, the Dutch lawyer ended communication with Roque upon learning that he is allegedly a fugitive from justice in the Philippines.
Kaufman said Roque’s persistence and “obsessive” interference could jeopardize the defense’s efforts.
“I would find it hard to forgive him for that and I refuse to entertain his ramblings,” Kaufman stated.
Kaufman criticized Roque for portraying himself as Duterte’s sole legal savior and stirring public opposition against the current defense team.
He advised Roque to redirect his energy toward appealing the Dutch government’s rejection of his asylum application.
“Harry Roque would be best advised to channel the energy he has expended on meddling into defending his appeal against the denial of his supposed refugee status – a status which he would have been happy to jettison if someone would be prepared to employ him,” Kaufman added. (JCEN)
