British lawyer Peter Haynes eyed as Rodrigo Duterte's new lead counsel in ICC case
British lawyer and former president of the International Criminal Court Bar Association Peter Haynes is now being eyed to serve as the lead counsel of former president Rodrigo Duterte in his alleged crimes against humanity case.
In court documents submitted by Duterte's former lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman, he said that Haynes has "indeed confirmed that he is ready, willing, and able" to assume immediate representation of Duterte in the case.
The document also noted Duterte's desire to hire Haynes as Kaufman's replacement.
"I am convinced that the continuity and efficacy of Mr. Duterte's representation will remain assured through Mr. Haynes, who has a wealth of experience at the International Criminal Court, and the existing defence team. Counsel thanks Mr. Haynes for his extremely graceful, supportive and collegial approach," Kaufman stated.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Haynes is a defence trial advocate with substantial experience before both the ad hoc international criminal tribunals and the International Criminal Court. This includes the case of Vinko Pandurević in relation to the Srebrenica massacre, which he describes as the "largest criminal trial since the second World War."
He also touts himself as "one of the few advocates to have conducted a trial at the ICC."
His profile on St Philips Chambers, of which he was a senior barrister, meanwhile stated that Haynes has been practicing international criminal and humanitarian law for over 25 years.
During his career at the ICC, he secured the acquittal of Jean-Pierre Bemba, who led the rebel group Movement for the Liberation of the Congo. He was also appointed by the court to represent Joseph Kony, the infamous leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army in the first in absentia hearings at the ICC.
Aside from this, he has also handled cases involving charges of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and international terrorism. Domestically, he tackled cases of murder, serious fraud, sexual offences, human trafficking and complex conspiracies.
Haynes was eventually promoted as president of the International Criminal Court Bar Association between 2019 and 2021, becoming the first person to be re-elected to the post.
Kaufman isn't the only member of Duterte's defense team to withdraw, as ICC Trial Chamber III also granted Dov Jacobs' request to pull out as Duterte's associate counsel. The French lawyer said that the decision was made because the former president plans to restructure his legal team before the ICC trial begins.
On April 23, an ICC pre-trial chamber unanimously confirmed all three counts of murder lodged against Duterte as crimes against humanity, saying they constitute “serious violations committed as part of a large-scale attack against any civilian population.”
A Trial Chamber has now been formed to oversee his case.
Among the details to be ironed out with the case participants is the date for the commencement of the trial. From the conferences, the chamber will also determine which procedures will allow a fair and efficient trial. Additionally, the chamber will decide on the timing and manner of disclosure of evidence.