Atty. Nicholas Kaufman, lead counsel for former President Rodrigo Duterte, denied reports claiming the International Criminal Court (ICC) rejected a proposal to provide passports and national IDs to families of alleged victims in the ongoing investigation into Duterte’s war on drugs.
In a video interview posted by vlogger Alvin & Tourism, Kaufman called the reports false, clarifying that no such request was submitted to the ICC.
“This whole thing about the judges rejecting my proposal — that never happened,” Kaufman said. “All that happened was that two activist victims’ representatives, Joel Butuyan and Kristina Conti, made all sorts of assertions in the press that I had asked to restrict victims’ participation by limiting the ID documents. That never happened.”
Kaufman emphasized that these claims did not originate from any formal proceedings in The Hague and were instead media-driven narratives by certain legal representatives.
On the other hand, he also revealed that Duterte is aware of the developments regarding his possible detention in the Netherlands. According to Kaufman, the former president urges his supporters and the public to respect the legal process.
“He knows the people are very interested in his welfare,” Kaufman stated. “He also knows there are tendencies for people to get excited and not respect the judicial process. He insists that the process be respected.”
The ICC investigation continues amid growing public scrutiny and conflicting reports.
