Duterte wants Roque to stay away from ICC case, says counsel 

President Rodrigo Duterte does not want his former spokesperson Harry Roque to meddle in his case before the International Criminal Court, his legal counsel Nicholas Kaufman said. 

According to a report on “24 Oras” on Thursday, Kaufman said that Roque is considered a fugitive and the former president is afraid that his status might compromise the case. 

“The former President has expressed no desire to see Harry Roque nor to be assisted by him. Harry Roque is a fugitive from justice in the Philippines and the former President thought it best not to have his ICC defence compromised by engaging him,” said Kaufman in a statement. 

Duterte’s lawyer also pointed out that Roque “had no mandate whatsoever to seek the assistance of a local Dutch lawyer (Kort Geding) to file a case against the Dutch Government for assisting in the rendition of the former President.” 

Kaufman described Roque’s action as “lunacy” but it was prevented after he contacted the local lawyer concerned. 

“This is not the first time I’ve heard such a crazy scheme. I would put it that way because at the end of the day, the Netherlands have to be involved in any request to release an individual from the court,” he said. “So to initiate a case in the Netherlands, against the Netherlands would be a big mistake.”

For his part, Roque denied that he intervened in his former boss’s case. 

“My support to the Duterte Legal Defense continues. There is no truth that I have interfered in the case or I have given statements that might affect the Defense legal strategy in the International Criminal Court (ICC),” he said in a Facebook post. 

“As a loyal foot soldier of the Dutertes, I have no wish but to bring the former President back to the Philippines alive. And like many Duterte diehard supporters, I feel a sense of frustration on the pre-trial detention of our beloved President. I thus offered an additional legal remedy, outside of the ICC, subject to the approval of the former President and his family,” he added. 

Roque also said: “I cannot be blamed for devising remedies to bring former President Duterte home alive. No such idea can be characterized as a crazy scheme.” —Vince Angelo Ferreras/LDF, GMA Integrated News