VICE PRESIDENT Sara Duterte is waiting for a crucial document before returning to the Philippines as she hopes former President Rodrigo Duterte’s legal team will be fully assembled before she departs the Netherlands.
Speaking to the media in The Hague on April 1, alongside her sister Kitty, she clarified some legal matters, including her father’s bid for interim release from the charges of crimes against humanity relating to his war on drugs.
She also mentioned that the Office of the Vice President is preparing assistance for Filipinos detained in Qatar for allegedly participating in an unauthorized political demonstration.
Moreover, Duterte’s defense team, led by Atty. Nicholas Kaufman confirmed they are “working on” filing for interim release but are still determining the optimal timing for the application before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In an interview with the media, Kaufman said that after visiting Duterte at Scheveningen Prison, they outlined the three factors influencing interim release: risk of flight, risk of witness interference, and risk of continued crimes.
He asserted that none of these factors apply to Duterte’s current situation.
“There is a right for Mr. Duterte to be released. We are working on that, but the timing…is yet to be decided,” he said.
Also, Kaufman declined to comment on the adequacy of the prosecution’s 181 pieces of evidence or the necessity of naming the alleged 30,000 victims of the drug war.
He stated, “The victims have a role in the process. We have to respect that role. We will argue that in court, not here.”
Meanwhile, the vice president publicly questioned the 30,000 death toll figure, arguing that the 181 pieces of evidence presented by the ICC prosecution are insufficient to prove systematic killings on such a scale.
“How can you prove the systematic killing of 30,000 victims if you do not have the names of 30,000 victims? And yet, we have 181 pieces of evidence. And we don’t even have 50 victims. This is 43 counts of murder, not even 50. So, where is the system there of killing thousands? Sorry. Ang bobo yung abogado nila (Their lawyer is stupid),” she said.
