Lawyer of Former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte Denies Role over ICC Detention Visiting Rights
RODRIGO DUTERTE – The lawyer of the former President for his case before the International Criminal Court (ICC) reacted to the claim of Honeylet Avanceña over the visiting rights.
Former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte is detained under the custody of the ICC since March. Upon his arrival from Hong Kong last March 11, the Philippine authorities assisted the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) in the arrest of the former Chief Executive.
Pres. Bongbong Marcos and the government earned criticisms from countless Filipinos following Duterte’s arrest. Vice Pres. Sara Duterte also claimed that the ICC and Pres. Bongbong Marcos allegedly used each other in the arrest of her father.
According to the Vice President, the ICC allegedly wants to pursue a case against her father while the Marcos administration wants him away from the country. She also claimed that Marcos Jr. allegedly committed an impeachable offense over her father’s arrest and the transfer of his custody.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte claimed that the former President is as thin as “skin and bones” now. Her mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman, and brother, Davao Congressman Paolo Duterte, made similar claims. However, according to the Vice President, she wants the slim physique of her father as his previous physique looked unhealthy for his heart.
The Duterte family members as well as the common-law wife of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, Honeylet Avanceña, and his ex-wife, Elizabeth Zimmerman, took turns in visiting the former Chief Executive inside the ICC detention center. His lawyers have filed an application for his interim release but has also asked the court to hold off in making a decision as they still await some documents and information that would support the plea.
Recently, Honeylet Avanceña claimed that she’s allegedly deprived from visiting former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte inside the ICC detention center. According to her, it was allegedly due to a supposed conversation between them about legal matters over the phone.
Honeylet Avanceña also called on lawyer Nicholas Kaufman, the lead counsel of the former President, not to deprive them from seeking the opinions of other lawyers. Recently, the British-Israeli lawyer reacted to Avanceña’s claim.
“For judicial reasons and out of respect for family privacy, I am not able and, further, have no need nor reason to comment on the veracity of Honeylet Avanceña’s allegations concerning what she claims is her denial of access to the ICC detention centre,” Duterte’s ICC lawyer said.
Furthermore, based on a report on ABS-CBN News, Nicholas Kaufman also stressed that the visiting rights is determined by the authorities inside the ICC detention center. He denied that the counsels allegedly have a right over it.
“Contrary to Ms Avanceña’s claims, visiting rights are not determined by Counsel but rather by the detention centre authorities with the intervention of the judges when necessary,” Kaufman said.
Previously, Nicholas Kaufman claimed that former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte allegedly has no desire to see nor interest to be assisted by Harry Roque, his former spokesman. Prior to it, Roque has asserted several times his desire to defend Duterte in his ICC case.
