Lawyer Salvador Medialdea (L) sits in the courtroom during the first appearance via video link of his client former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (seen on a screen) before the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charge of crimes against humanity over his deadly crackdown on narcotics, in The Hague on March 14, 2025. Agence France-Presse
MANILA, Philippines — Former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea will withdraw as counsel for former President Rodrigo Duterte in his case before the International Criminal Court (ICC) once the ex-leader’s legal team is finalized.
Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, confirmed this in an interview with reporters at The Hague, Netherlands, on Tuesday.
“Once the team for ICC is finalized, Attorney Medialdea will withdraw because there are only limited slots for lawyers. We want all the lawyers on board to have ICC experience,” Duterte said.
READ: British lawyer tapped as Duterte’s lead counsel in ICC case
“There are still lawyers I’ll be talking with. One attorney will be arriving. I’m interviewing them to join the team,” the vice president added.
She did not name which lawyers she was meeting with nor specify how many.
Medialdea was appointed by the former president as one of his counsels for the ICC proceedings, representing the ex-leader before the tribunal during his first appearance hearing last Friday.
READ: Duterte’s counsel Medialdea rushed to hospital
On Tuesday, the former executive secretary was rushed to a hospital in The Hague for an undisclosed reason.
British-Israeli lawyer Nicholas Kaufman has been appointed as Duterte’s lead counsel.
Duterte’s confirmation of charges hearing is scheduled for September 23, 2025.
The former president is facing the ICC for crimes against humanity in connection with his administration’s bloody war on drugs.
Government data tallied around 6,000 deaths due to Duterte’s anti-narcotics campaign, but human rights watchdogs estimated between 12,000 and 30,000 were killed.