📷Atty. Harry Roque
Former Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque and former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea will not be part of the legal team defending former President Rodrigo Duterte in the International Criminal Court (ICC), Vice President Sara Duterte said on Wednesday (Manila time).
In an interview with reporters in The Netherlands, Duterte said their camp needed a focused and experienced legal team to handle his father’s case, which involves allegations of crimes against humanity linked to the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
“So far, hindi siya [Atty. Harry Roque] kasama sa legal team. We want to avoid complications since his basis for staying in The Netherlands is not yet clearly established,” she said. “Gusto namin nakatutok talaga ‘yung lawyers doon sa kaso. Right now, he’s, I heard, applying for asylum. He publicly announced that already. We want him to focus on his asylum, and we want our lawyers to focus on the case.”
Roque, who had previously expressed willingness to join Duterte’s defense, is currently in The Netherlands seeking asylum. His uncertain status and ongoing asylum application were cited as reasons for his exclusion from the legal team.
Meanwhile, Medialdea, who served as Duterte’s Executive Secretary, will also step aside once the ICC defense team is finalized. “Once maayos na ‘yung team for ICC, magwi-withdraw si Atty. Medialdea. Kasi meron lang mga limited na slots for lawyers. And we want all the lawyers on board with ICC experience,” the Vice President said.
Leading the legal team is British-Israeli lawyer Atty. Nicholas Kaufman, a seasoned international criminal law expert. More lawyers with ICC expertise are expected to join the defense, according to Vice President Duterte.
“Mayroon pa akong mga kakausaping mga lawyers. Mayroon pang darating na isang abogado. Mai-interview ko siya para sumali sa team,” she added.
Duterte also clarified her role in the process, saying that she is assisting her father in organizing the legal team.
“I am just here to assist President Duterte in the creation of the legal team. Kasi every time I go there to visit him, he tells me to go home to the Philippines,” she said.
The ICC is investigating Duterte for alleged extrajudicial killings during his administration’s anti-drug campaign, which reportedly claimed thousands of lives. The former president has repeatedly denied the allegations and insisted that the ICC has no jurisdiction over him.
When asked if the former president had come to terms with being tried over his administration’s controversial anti-drug campaign, his daughter said that he is prepared to face the charges.
“Alam naman niya, oo. Sinabi naman niya [na] ‘Haharapin ko ito. I do not regret anything that I did sa aking paglilingkod sa bayan’,” Duterte said. (TCSP)
