The Hague, Netherlands — The International Criminal Court (ICC) officially confirms the appointment of British-Israeli lawyer Nicholas Kaufman as the legal counsel of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in his crimes against humanity case.
This announcement came on Wednesday, but Kaufman’s appointment has been confirmed since March 17, three days since Duterte nominated him as his lead legal counsel in his case.
Since his nomination, Kaufman has earlier expressed confidence in giving the “strongest defense” for Duterte’s case.
“There was a need, first of all, for a senior counsel to be appointed, a counsel who has experience with matters of the ICC, and it’s that counsel’s job to compose the team. It’s early days yet, no one is entitled to draw any conclusion whatsoever from what has been and what hasn’t been done with respect to nominations at this point in time,” said Kaufman in an interview.
Presently, Kaufman remains to be the only lawyer who has been confirmed to be part of Duterte’s legal defense team.
Vice President Sara Duterte said that she is still in the process of interviewing other lawyers, with an ICC experience, to represent her father’s case.
Meanwhile, the confirmation hearing for Duterte’s case will be held on September 23, 2025.