The legal team of former President Rodrigo Duterte is preparing a plea for his interim release but has yet to determine when to file it with the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to his lead counsel, Nicholas Kaufman.
“Interim release is a right. And it can only be tempered by three factors: the risk of flight, the risk of interference with witnesses or evidence, and the risk of continued crimes,” Kaufman told ABS-CBN News.
He emphasized that none of these factors apply in Duterte’s case, asserting that the former president has the right to be released. However, the timing of the application remains undecided.
Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, previously stated that they aim to secure his interim release before the next ICC hearing in September.
Kaufman also conveyed Duterte’s request for both supporters and critics to refrain from interfering with ICC judicial proceedings.
“Politics in the Philippines will take its course, but that has nothing to do with what’s happening here at The Hague,” he said, urging respect for the judicial process.
Regarding Duterte’s detention at the Scheveningen penitentiary, Kaufman assured that his client remains in "high spirits" despite facing charges of crimes against humanity over his controversial war on drugs.
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