By Samantha Yu
MANILA – Former president Rodrigo Duterte has begun restructuring his legal team before the International Criminal Court, with lawyer Nicholas Kaufman stepping down as lead counsel ahead of trial proceedings.
A court filing dated May 8 showed Kaufman formally informing ICC Trial Chamber III of his withdrawal from the case. He said Duterte conveyed the decision during a meeting with the defense panel on May 7.
The former president has already selected a replacement lawyer, although the individual’s identity was redacted in the publicly released document.
Kaufman said he had spoken with the incoming counsel, who confirmed readiness to immediately take over Duterte’s defense and had already settled the terms of engagement.
Despite his departure, Kaufman expressed confidence that Duterte’s legal representation would remain uninterrupted, citing the incoming lawyer’s experience in ICC litigation and the continued support of the existing defense staff.
The lawyer’s one-year engagement with Duterte’s camp had ended on March 31, 2026.
In another ruling released the same day, the ICC approved the withdrawal request of associate counsel Dov Jacobs as Duterte’s camp prepares for the next phase of the proceedings.
The ICC earlier confirmed the charges against Duterte and ordered the case to proceed to trial. Judges said there were substantial grounds to believe the former president was responsible for crimes against humanity tied to the government’s anti-drug campaign from 2011 to 2019.
