Legal counsel for victims of the Philippine "war on drugs" stated Sunday that the withdrawal of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s lead defense team will not weaken the case against him at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Maria Kristina Conti, ICC Assistant Counsel, dismissed the recent resignations of lead defense counsel Nicholas Kaufman and associate Dov Jacobs as an expected "tactic to delay" the legal process.
“Sino pa man po ang abogado ni Duterte, hindi maiiba ang ebidensiya. At yung ebidensiyang nakaharap na, nakita natin nagkaroon ng mga patayan, malawakan ito o sistematiko,” Conti said in a radio interview.
Conti said she expects the incoming lawyers to be more cautious in making public statements, noting that the victims’ side had difficulties with Kaufman, who she described as “enthusiastic” in engaging the media and in what she said amounted to influencing public discourse on the issues.
Despite these changes, she emphasized that the victims remain confident because the existing evidence of "widespread or systematic" killings remains unchanged regardless of who represents the former president.
Conti added that the victims' camp remains focused on encouraging more victims to participate in the trial.
“Kung dito tayo mag-focus, baka maging counteroffensive. Masyado nating ma-focus-an kaysa sa mag-focus kung ano ba talaga yung kaso,” she said.
The ICC has scheduled a status conference for 27 May to discuss the trial timeline, evidence from both parties, and the conditions of Duterte’s detention.
Conti noted that before his departure, Kaufman had requested access to CCTV footage from the detention facility to investigate reports of Duterte "falling" or "tripping," which she suggested could be a strategy for the new defense team to seek interim release.
“Tinitimpla ko, parang hindi naman sila humihiling outright ng interim release. Wala pa. Hindi niya isinulat sa dulo pero sabi nya pwedeng patingin ng CCTV sa detention facility kasi parang nahuhulog, may ganun daw reported incidents ng nadadapa siguro, nahuhulog. Kaya pag-aaralan siguro nila or susunod na abogado kung ano ang gagawin doon,” she said.
However, Conti argued that interim release must be based on flight risk or the potential to commit further crimes rather than the state of the detention facility.
The trial is projected to begin between six months and 1.5 years following the confirmation of three counts of alleged crimes against humanity.