THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The legal counsel of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has firmly denied allegations that his client was involved in the destruction of evidence linked to the administration’s bloody war on drugs, countering recent claims by Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.
Speaking in an interview, international human rights lawyer Nicholas Kaufman said Duterte had “nothing to do” with the alleged cover-up of drug war-related documents and materials.
“What I do know is that my client, Mr. Duterte, had nothing to do with destroying any evidence. Destroying evidence is a criminal offense. It was not done, and it was not done at his request or on his behalf,” Kaufman stated.
The lawyer emphasized that no one from Duterte’s camp was involved in tampering with or eliminating any documentation related to the thousands of killings during his presidency, which are now under scrutiny by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“The former president did not destroy any evidence. No one on his behalf destroyed evidence,” Kaufman stressed, refusing to elaborate further on the ICC’s evidence against his client.
Duterte is currently detained at the ICC detention center in The Hague and is facing charges of crimes against humanity, specifically for murder connected to the extrajudicial killings tied to his anti-drug campaign.
Kaufman also pushed back on the broader criminal allegations, saying: “He’s here facing charges that he committed criminal offenses, that he was responsible for an illegal drug sale. That is not the case.”
Last week, Justice Secretary Remulla said the Philippine government dropped its investigation and allowed the ICC to proceed because “everything that could be erased was erased.”
However, ICC prosecutors have since disclosed 1,062 new pieces of evidence, bringing the total number of items in the case to over 100,000, including written testimonies, video recordings, and other supporting materials.
Duterte was arrested in the Philippines on March 11 and transferred to The Hague on March 12. He is set to appear before ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I on September 23 for confirmation of charges hearing.
His legal team has also filed a jurisdictional challenge and is seeking interim release as they contest the court’s authority and push for his temporary or full freedom while proceedings continue.