Kaufman admits: Duterte’s release was a long shot

December 11, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines —  Succeeding in the “long-shot” interim release bid of former president Rodrigo Duterte would have been miraculous had it been granted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to his lawyer Nicholas Kaufman.

“Did I fail big time? I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration. We do our job. We’re lawyers. No one has ever been released in this court at any rate for charges of crimes against humanity. If we had managed to release the former president, it would have been a miraculous event,” Kaufman told a Duterte supporter on Tuesday in The Hague.

“Yes, it was a long shot. We did our best. But it doesn’t mean that in the long run, we don’t have a chance of succeeding in bringing the former president back home to the Philippines,” he added.

Duterte remains in detention after the ICC Appeals Chamber recently denied the defense’s appeal on his request for interim release.

In a statement, Kaufman stressed that “the ICC Appeals Chamber has never affirmed the interim release of a person charged with crimes against humanity.”

But the defense intends to “reintroduce its request” to release Duterte once the result of his medical evaluation is available, he added.

Experts appointed by the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I last week submitted their reports on Duterte’s medical condition.

The ICC prosecutor, defense and victims’ counsel have until tomorrow to submit their observations on the medical reports.

Pre-trial judges are then expected to rule on the defense’s plea for adjournment on the basis of Duterte’s supposed cognitive decline.

As for the defense’s appeal on the court’s jurisdiction, the ICC prosecutor and victims’ counsel maintained that the Pre-Trial Chamber I made the correct decision in rejecting the challenge.

Arresting Bato

Instead of telling Sen. Ronald dela Rosa to hide from authorities, Sen. Robin Padilla should advise his colleague to follow the law, Malacañang said yesterday.

Padilla had advised Dela Rosa not to surrender to a “foreign power.”

“That kind of message reflects those who refuse to follow the law. If there is a valid warrant of arrest, we know what to do,” Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said.

Dela Rosa, a former police chief, had enforced the bloody drug war of detained former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Last month, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said the ICC had issued an arrest warrant for Dela Rosa, but the government has not received confirmation on the matter.

Dela Rosa has not been attending Senate sessions since Nov. 11. –  Alexis Romero