- Title: NETHERLANDS: ICC prosecutor may join two Kenyan cases in one
- Date: 25th January 2012
- Summary: THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS (JANUARY 24, 2012) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT (ICC) SIGN FOR THE ICC ICC PROSECUTOR, LUIS MORENO-OCAMPO, AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ICC PROSECUTOR LUIS MORENO-OCAMPO, SAYING: "We are discussing in my office if we put together the two cases or not, so is it better to have one case together with four suspects, or have two different parallel cases." CAMERAMEN FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (English) ICC PROSECUTOR LUIS MORENO-OCAMPO, SAYING: "Now we have judges confirming that the first act of violence committed in Kenya after elections were planned for months by an organisation created and led by some of the ODM party, Mr. Ruto and others, so that is crucially important: they triggered violence in Kenya." NEWS CONFERENCE IN SESSION (SOUNDBITE) (English) ICC PROSECUTOR LUIS MORENO-OCAMPO, SAYING: "The reason not to confirm charges against Mr. Kosgey was because we just have one witness, and the judges consider one witness is not enough, so we will keep investigating this. In the case of Mr. Ali, the judges consider that there was not proof that police gave a free zone in the cities and we believe that happened, so we keep investigating that and in the same way we are keeping investigating what happened in Kibera and Kisumu, where allegedly the members of the police were shooting civilians." JOURNALISTS PROSECUTOR LEAVING THE CONFERENCE ROOM
- Embargoed: 9th February 2012 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Netherlands, Netherlands
- Country: Netherlands
- Topics: International Relations,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA9Z24BVYFTV6A1WQ3TAFO6KDC9
- Story Text: ICC prosecutor may join two Kenyan cases in one, if judges agree.
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said on Tuesday (January 24) in the Hague he was considering joining two Kenyan cases against four suspects together, but said the idea would have to be approved or dismissed by the judges.
Judges at the Hague-based court ruled on Monday that 4 out of 6 high-profile Kenyans will go on trial for orchestrating murder and rape during the post-elections chaos in 2007/2008.
The accused include presidential contenders Uhuruu Kenyatta, Kenya's finance minister and son of its founder president, and former minister William Ruto.
"We are discussing in my office if we put together the two cases or not, so is it better to have one case together with four suspects, or have two different parallel cases," Ocampo said during a news conference.
The two cases are split between the ethnic Kalenjin and Kikuyu camps, as Ruto is a Kalenjin and Kenyatta is a Kikuyu, Kenya's largest ethnic group.
Both Kenyatta, the country's deputy prime minister who was ranked Kenya's richest man by Forbes magazine, and Ruto, a former higher education minister, plan to run for president in an election due by March next year at the latest.
"Now we have judges confirming that the first act of violence committed in Kenya after elections were planned for month by an organisation created and led by some of the ODM party, mr. Ruto and others, so that is crucially important: they triggered violence in Kenya," Ocampo said.
The judges yesterday said there was insufficient evidence for action against Henry Kosgey, former industrialisation minister, and Mohammed Hussein Ali, who was police commissioner at the time of the violence.
Ocampo said he would continue investigating the cases against them.
"The reason not to confirm charges against Mr. Kosgey was because we just have one witness, and the judges consider one witness is not enough, so we will keep investigating this. In the case of mr. Ali, the judges consider that there was not proof that police gave a free zone in the cities and we believe that happened, so we keep investigating that and in the same way we are keeping investigating what happened in Kibera and Kisumu, where allegedly the members of the police were shooting civilians," Ocampo said.
The decision by the Hague-based court is likely to have far-reaching consequences for the biggest economy in east Africa where a political elite have long been considered almost above the law. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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