Harry Roque Denies Interfering Duterte Legal Defense Strategy
MANILA, Philippines — Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque firmly denied any involvement in interfering with or influencing the legal strategy of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s defense team. The legal team is handling Duterte’s crimes against humanity case at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Roque addressed these allegations after Duterte’s lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, claimed that Roque portrayed himself as the sole defender capable of representing the former leader. Roque emphasized that his support for the Duterte legal defense remains steadfast and insisted that he never disrupted the legal approach or issued statements that could affect the ICC case.
Clarifying Intentions Behind Legal Suggestions
According to Roque, his suggestions were meant solely to help bring Duterte back to the Philippines safely. He offered an alternative legal remedy outside the ICC framework, which would only move forward with the approval of Duterte and his family.
“I cannot be blamed for devising remedies to bring former President Duterte home alive. No such idea can be characterized as a crazy scheme,” Roque explained. He also highlighted that the Vice President acknowledged their discussions about domestic legal remedies, which Roque deferred to pending the interim release decision.
Rejecting Character Attacks
Roque criticized the personal attacks directed at him, calling them unwarranted and inappropriate. “Ad hominem attacks and other forms of character assassination have no place in the legal profession and any decent society,” he stated. He urged Nicholas Kaufman to stop the blame game and focus on efforts to safely return Duterte to the Philippines, bringing happiness to the Filipino people.
Legal Counsel’s Response and Controversies
In a separate interview shared on social media, Kaufman expressed that neither Duterte nor those close to him consider Roque as part of the legal team. “The former President has made it known that Roque should stop interfering in his case and return to the Philippines to address his own legal matters,” Kaufman said.
Kaufman also revealed that a Dutch lawyer confirmed Roque approached him with a plan to sue the Dutch government for allegedly facilitating Duterte’s rendition. Kaufman called this initiative a “crazy scheme,” arguing that suing the Dutch government would likely hinder cooperation needed for Duterte’s release.
For more news and updates on Duterte legal defense, visit Filipinokami.com.
