Malacañang on Saturday refuted claims that the Marcos administration has agreed to the interim release of former president Rodrigo Duterte from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said Duterte’s legal counsel, lawyer Nicholas Kaufman, had a pattern of repeatedly distorting facts surrounding the proceedings.
She cited as an example Kaufman’s claim that the ICC prosecutor did not oppose the former president’s request for interim release.
“It was later revealed to be a false allegation after the ICC prosecutor filed an opposition,” Castro said in a statement.
“Atty. Kaufman appears to have mastered the art of twisting some facts,” she added.
The PCO official reiterated that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s administration has no involvement in the case, particularly in Duterte’s bid for interim release.
“We want to be clear that the Marcos Jr. administration is not privy to and has no hand in the former president Duterte’s ongoing trial before the ICC, particularly his request for interim release,” Castro said.
“However, as part of the legal process, no matter what the ICC decides, we will still respect it,” she added.
Duterte’s camp has argued that at 80 years old, the former leader is not a flight risk and that his detention is unnecessary to safeguard the proceedings. They also said a third country had expressed willingness to host him should the request be granted.
Duterte was taken into ICC custody in The Hague earlier this year to face charges of crimes against humanity over thousands of deaths linked to his anti-drug campaign during his time as Davao City mayor and Philippine president.
