French legal eagle joins Duterte’s ICC defense team

French lawyer Dov Jacobs is the latest addition to the defense team of former President Rodrigo Duterte in his crimes against humanity case before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In a document posted on the ICC website, the international tribunal’s Pre-Trial Chamber 1 acknowledged the appointment of Jacobs as associate counsel in the proceedings.

“The Registry hereby informs Pre-Trial Chamber I that on 2 April 2025, Mr. Nicholas Kaufman, counsel on record for Mr. Rodrigo Roa Duterte, requested for Mr. Dov Jacobs to assist the defense team as Associate Counsel in the proceedings before the International Criminal Court,” it said.

“The appointment has been confirmed by the Registry on 3 April 2025, following Mr. Jacobs’ acceptance,” it added.

Being the associate counsel, Jacobs will help Kaufman — Duterte’s lead counsel — by providing legal advice, conducting research, drafting legal documents, and supporting the Court’s operations.

Jacobs is an expert in international law and international criminal law, human rights, and transitional justice with 15 years of experience.

He is also an assistant professor of Public International Law at Leiden University and a regular guest professor at various universities such as Sciences Po, Université de Lille, among others.

Duterte is suspected of murder qualified as a crime against humanity allegedly committed in the Philippines between 1 November 2011 and 16 March 2019.

He obtained his law degrees from King’s College in London, Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne and Paris II Panthéon Assas, and a degree in Political Science from Sciences Po, Paris.

He obtained his PhD from the European University Institute in Florence on the topic of hybrid tribunals and international criminal law.

Acquitted

On his website, Jacobs said he is also on the defense teams of Laurent Gbagbo and Mahamat Said at the ICC and on the Félicien Kabuga case at the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals or MICT.

Gbagbo and Kabuga are former presidents of the Ivory Coast, who are both accused of crimes against humanity in relation to the post-electoral violence in their country between December 2010 and April 2011.

In 2019, the ICC judges ruled that the prosecution had not presented enough evidence to continue the trial against Gbagbo. They acquitted him of all charges and ordered his release.

The prosecution appealed the acquittal. In 2021, the Appeals Chamber of the ICC overturned the acquittal, ruling that there were errors in the decision and ordering a retrial.

Duterte is suspected of murder qualified as a crime against humanity allegedly committed in the Philippines between 1 November 2011 and 16 March 2019.

Based on government data, at least 7,000 people were killed in Duterte’s drug war. However, both local and international human rights groups disagreed, saying the actual number could be as high as 30,000.