Ex-president Rodrigo Duterte’s former spokesman Atty. Herminio ‘Harry’ Roque. (Photo from Bombo Radyo News)
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Former president Rodrigo ‘Rody’ Duterte (FPRRD)’s lead counsel, , British-Israeli barrister, Nicholas Kaufman, has dropped the bomb and the message is clear: “Atty. Harry Roque is not wanted by Duterte . . . or anyone near him.”
According to Kaufman, the former Philippine president would prefer Mr. Roque to stop interfering (in his case) and return to the Philippines, where his talents (and troubles) are better suited and where at least justice secretary Jesus Crispin ‘Boying’ Remulla is expecting him.
This was made painfully clear by Duterte’s lead counsel in an interview that should’ve ended Roque’s fantasy once and for all.
Kaufman also exposed Roque’s supposed “crazy” attempt to sue the Netherlands government while begging them to release Duterte.
“Embarrassing. From Day One, Roque has undermined me and misled the public, No one is interested in him as a lawyer,” he pointed out.
However, Duterte’s former spokesman brushed all these aside, saying “my support to the Duterte Legal Defense continues. There is no truth that I have interfered in the case or I have given statements that might affect the Defense legal strategy in the International Criminal Court (ICC).”
Capitalizing that he is a loyal foot soldier of the Dutertes, he stressed that he has no wish but to bring the former chief executive back to the Philippines alive.
“(. . .) like many Duterte diehard supporters, I feel a sense of frustration on the pre-trial detention of our beloved President. I thus offered an additional legal remedy, outside of the ICC, subject to the approval of the former President and his family,” he cited.
Roque likewise disclosed defensively that he cannot be blamed for devising remedies to bring former Presidente Duterte home alive.
“No such idea can be characterized as a crazy scheme. In fact, the Vice President acknowledged that we have discussed the domestic legal remedy in numerous occasions and I have deferred to VP’s decision to hold the domestic legal remedy in abeyance pending the outcome of the interim release,” he asserted.
In ending, Roque turned his focus on Kaufman even as he noted that ad hominem attacks and other forms of character assassination have no place in the legal profession and in any decent society, especially if these are directed against individuals who have not interfered in the case.
“I thus call on Atty. Nicholas Kaufman to put an end to this blame game and simply channel his time and energy to bring the former President home alive to make the Filipinos the happiest persons on earth,” he concluded with the hope that his take on the issue of Duterte’s rejection of him will put the record straight.