Former Presidential Spokesperson Atty. Harry Roque and former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea will not be joining the defense team of former President Rodrigo Duterte in his case before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In a press interview, the Vice President stated that Medialdea will withdraw once Duterte's defense team is properly organized.
She emphasized that the reason for Medialdea's withdrawal is the limited number of slots for lawyers, and their camp prefers to include only those with experience in handling ICC cases.
Earlier, the young Duterte revealed that his father’s defense team would be led by British-Israeli lawyer Atty. Nicholas Kaufman.
He was officially named lead counsel on March 17 and subsequently visited former President Duterte in detention on Tuesday.
Vice President Duterte pointed out that they want to avoid complications, as Roque’s basis for staying in the Netherlands has not been clearly established.
“Gusto namin nakatutok talaga yung lawyers doon sa kaso. Right now, he’s, I heard, applying for asylum. He publicly announced that already, so we want him to focus on his asylum and then we want our lawyers to focus on the case,” said Duterte.
Roque, currently in The Hague, announced on Monday that he plans to file for asylum in the Netherlands, while denying accusations that he is a fugitive.
Meanwhile, the Embassy of the Philippines in the Netherlands confirmed that Medialdea is now in a "regular hospital room" after receiving treatment in the hospital's emergency room.
The former executive secretary fell ill while registering at the reception counter upon arriving at the ICC Detention Center in the early morning of March 18, prior to his scheduled visit with Duterte.
On March 11, The 79-year-old Duterte was taken into custody by authorities following an arrest warrant from the ICC and was later moved to The Hague in the Netherlands.
He is facing charges of crimes against humanity, which are alleged to have occurred in the Philippines between November 1, 2011, and March 16, 2019.
Former President Duterte appeared in his first ICC hearing via video link, during which he was informed of the crimes he is accused of and made aware of his rights as a defendant.
The confirmation hearing for the charges against him is scheduled for September 23, 2025.
