MANILA, Philippines — Former President Rodrigo Duterte has no plans to replace his legal counsel at the International Criminal Court despite calls from supporters to do so, Vice President Sara Duterte said.
Sara Duterte said her father conveyed the decision during one of her visits to the ICC detention center in The Hague, Netherlands.
In a chance interview with reporters in The Hague, Sara Duterte said the former president declined to change his lawyers but issued instructions to his legal team. A video of the interview was provided by the Office of the Vice President.
She declined to disclose the instructions given to the lawyers.
Calls to replace Duterte’s legal team followed a recent ruling by the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I that denied the defense’s request for an indefinite adjournment of proceedings based on claims of Duterte’s alleged cognitive impairment.
The chamber cited findings from three court-appointed medical experts, a forensic psychiatrist, a neuropsychologist, and a geriatric and behavioral neurologist, who unanimously determined that Duterte was fit to participate in the proceedings.
Duterte’s lead counsel, lawyer Nicholas Kaufman, said the defense would seek leave to appeal the ruling. Kaufman also accused the court of denying due process by not allowing the defense to submit evidence or challenge the medical assessment.
The ICC has detained Duterte since March 2025 over alleged crimes against humanity linked to his administration’s anti-drug campaign. Government data place the death toll at more than 6,000, while human rights groups estimate that the number could reach 30,000 or more.
