Panelo, Medialdea among Filipino lawyers attending Duterte's confirmation of charges hearing
The Duterte family has released the list of Filipino lawyers attending detained ex-president Rodrigo Duterte's confirmation of charges hearing at the International Criminal Court.
Among them are former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea, ex-Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board chairman Martin Delgra III, former Department of Labor and Employment secretary Silvestre Bello III, former senator Alfredo Lim Jr., former Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Caesar Dulay, and ex-Chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo.
"We thank the legal team for their continued dedication and professionalism during this critical time," the Duterte family said in a statement.
The family added that there are no approved in-person visits to Duterte during the hearings. However, telephone calls are still allowed.
On Feb. 20, the ICC said that Duterte will not be present at his pre-trial hearing. The Hague tribunal granted his request to waive his right to appear in the proceedings from Feb. 23 to 27.
The confirmation of charges hearing will determine whether there is enough evidence against Duterte to proceed to a trial. He has been accused of being an "indirect co-perpetrator for the crime against humanity of murder pursuant to Article 7 (1)(a) of the Rome Statute."
Duterte's legal team is headed by British-Israeli lawyer Atty. Nicholas Kaufman. According to ICC assistant to counsel Kristina Conti, the ex-president cannot be represented by just any lawyer, as they have to be accredited by the international tribunal itself.
The hearings will take place on Feb. 23, 24, 26, and 27 in ICC Courtroom I. Each day follows a three-session schedule: the first begins at 5 p.m. (Philippine time), followed by sessions at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.
These can be viewed on the ICC website, ICC Facebook page, and ICC YouTube channel.