Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte “absolutely” maintains his innocence, his defence lawyer told the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a pre-trial hearing opened Monday.

Duterte, who was not in court, “stands behind his legacy resolutely,” said lawyer Nicholas Kaufman. “He maintains his innocence absolutely.”

Kaufman described Duterte as “a unique phenomenon” who was “gung-ho in his ways” and full of “hyperbole, bluster and rhetoric.”

He accused the prosecution of “cherry-picking” excerpts from Duterte’s speeches, noting that many of them stress the importance of following the law.

The former president’s speeches did not have “lethal intent” but were intended to “instil fear in the hearts” of criminals, Kaufman said.

Kaufman told ICC judges that the evidence against Duterte was “wholly insufficient” and the charges were “grievously misplaced and politically motivated.”

The hearing is a “confirmation of charges” session, after which judges will decide whether to move to a full trial. That decision could take up to 60 days.