Former President Rodrigo Duterte’s legal counsel, Atty. Nicholas Kaufman, has strongly refuted Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla’s claim that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant against Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.
In a Facebook post shared by Duterte supporter and vlogger Alvin Sarzate on Sunday, November 9, Kaufman dismissed the alleged warrant as a mere fabrication.
“There is nothing to suggest that the supposed arrest warrant for Senator Dela Rosa is anything other than a figment of Ombudsman Remulla’s fertile imagination,” Kaufman said.
He added that the claim runs contrary to logic, noting that the ICC’s probe into the Duterte administration’s war on drugs remains unresolved.
“It goes against all common sense and prosecutorial logic for the ICC to issue further warrants in the context of the Philippines investigation until the issue of its ability to exercise jurisdiction over the so-called war on drugs has been finally resolved on appeal,” he explained.
Remulla earlier claimed in an interview that an arrest warrant had already been issued against Dela Rosa by the ICC.
Dela Rosa’s camp, through his legal counsel Atty. Israelito Torreon, said they have yet to receive confirmation but are confident that the Philippine government will uphold due process.
“If proven true, we trust that the Philippine Government will act in accordance with the rule of law, and that any such action shall first pass through the proper local judicial confirmation process consistent with our Constitution, due process, and the sovereign rights of the Republic of the Philippines,” Torreon said.
Malacañang also stated it has not received any confirmation regarding the reported ICC warrant.