FALSE. Posts circulating on social media claim that Phoenix Wright, a well-known defense attorney from the Ace Attorney video game franchise, has been retained as former president Rodrigo Duterte’s new counsel at the International Criminal Court (ICC) following the withdrawal of his previous legal team.
FACT. Phoenix Wright is an entirely fictional character. He does not exist as a real person, holds no actual legal credentials, and has no standing before any international tribunal. The posts are fabricated and are not supported by any official ICC document, verified news report, or statement from Duterte’s camp.
The misleading content spread across multiple Facebook groups after Nicholas Kaufman, Duterte’s lead counsel at the ICC, formally requested his withdrawal on May 8, 2026. Kaufman’s contract expired on March 31, 2026, and Duterte expressed a wish to hire new representation.
The ICC Trial Chamber III officially granted Kaufman’s withdrawal request on May 11, 2026. Taking advantage of the public interest surrounding the change in Duterte’s legal team, several social media accounts began circulating posts naming Phoenix Wright and, in related posts, other fictional lawyers such as Harvey Specter and Annalise Keating from popular American legal dramas as incoming ICC counsel.
None of these individuals exists in real life, and no official ICC filing, press release, or credible Philippine or international news outlet has reported the appointment of Phoenix Wright or any other fictional character as Duterte’s replacement counsel. The identity of Duterte’s actual new lawyer was redacted in court documents at the time of writing.
The posts exploit the public’s familiarity with fictional legal characters to spread humor-disguised misinformation, blurring the line between satire and false reporting about a high-profile international criminal proceeding.
The claim is therefore false. Phoenix Wright is a video game character and has no connection to the actual ICC proceedings involving former president Rodrigo Duterte
