FACT CHECK: No reports of Elon Musk pledging $50 million for Duterte’s legal defense

2 weeks ago 17

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

Already have Rappler+?
to listen to groundbreaking journalism.

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

No reports of Elon Musk pledging $50 million for Duterte’s legal defense

The social media posts circulating online provide no proof that the tech billionaire supports Duterte, who remains under ICC custody

Claim: Tech billionaire Elon Musk pledged $50 million for the legal defense fund of former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is under the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC) over crimes against humanity charges.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: A Facebook account posted the claim on April 5 through the Facebook group, “Senator Bato Dela Rosa’s Loyal Warriors Worldwide,” where the user was an administrator.

The post included a photo of Musk along with the text “Breaking News.” According to the post, the Tesla CEO and owner of X (formerly Twitter) was “deeply moved by the outpouring of love from the Duterte supporters.”

As of writing, the post has garnered 2,500 reactions, 1,600 shares, and 307 comments. It also continues to circulate on various Facebook groups. Several social media users posted comments thanking Musk for the supposed pledge.

On TikTok, a similar claim posted on April 6 has garnered 589,100 views, 38,200 likes, 4,146 comments, and 2,815 reposts.

The facts: There are no credible and official reports from international and local news outlets, nor from Musk himself, indicating that he will donate millions of dollars to fund Duterte’s legal team. The post also provided no evidence to support its claim.

Since Duterte’s arrest on March 11 over crimes against humanity in relation to his administration’s controversial drug war, a number of false claims have surfaced on social media, including fake expressions of support attributed to various personalities. Musk has not made any statement on his X account related to the former president.

Duterte’s legal defense: On April 4, Duterte’s lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman said his client’s core defense team has been finalized. He earlier said the former president would have the “best team” and “as many as lawyers” for a swift acquittal. (READ: Q&A with Duterte’s lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman on plans, prospects)

The defense team is expected to file a challenge questioning the jurisdiction of the ICC over Duterte and will separately apply for an interim release “when the conditions are ripe.” (EXPLAINER: What you need to know about ICC’s jurisdiction over Duterte)

Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque earlier said on Facebook that Duterte has applied for legal aid and is entitled to 40,000 euros (P2.53 million) from the ICC. Kaufman did not comment on Roque’s post, and there is no confirmation that Duterte had filed for legal aid.

The ICC registrar considers applications for legal aid. Duterte would be deemed qualified if he is determined to be indigent or partially indigent.

According to the ICC legal aid policy, the amount or the form of assistance that the ICC can extend would also depend on the complexity of the work.

Debunked: Rappler has previously debunked false claims about individuals allegedly showing support for Duterte following his arrest:

Musk has also been the subject of several fake reports:

– Lyndee Buenagua/Rappler.com

1 euro = P63.61

Lyndee Buenagua is a third year student journalist based in Baguio and an alumna of Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2024.

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.

How does this make you feel?

Read Entire Article