Friday, May 9, 2014
Deputy President William Ruto's trial will resume on May 14, the International Criminal Court outreach coordinator Maria Kamara has said. She said the case had been scheduled to resume on May 12 after the judicial recess but was pushed to May 14.
Kamara was speaking during a media briefing on the court’s outreach programmes in Kisumu town yesterday. She said Ruto is expected to attend the first five days of hearings after a judicial recess, according to the Trial Chamber V (A)’s ruling of January 15 on presence at trial.
Kamara said the DP will be required to appear before the ICC when victims present their views and concerns before the court. Sixteen witnesses have testified for the prosecution.
Ruto’s co-accused, journalist Joshua Sang’s case will also resume next week. “Sang did not, however, seek to be excused from some hearings and is expected to be in court fully,” Kamara said.
She said the prosecution considered that eight witnesses who had withdrawn in Ruto's case be compelled to testify due to the magnitude of their statements.
“There is merit to have them testify. The court is within its jurisdiction to have witnesses testify compulsorily depending on the nature of their statements,” said Kamara.
She said in the case of President Uhuru, an ICC status conference will convene in July to look into the progress made by Kenya in terms of cooperation with the court. “The case is however, expected to resume after the Kenyan government has provided all the necessary requirements to the court,” Kamara said.
Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda is demanding details of Uhuru's properties and financial records. She is seeking the information to bolster her case after a series of disappointments with some witnesses who have withdrawn or been dropped. The details are contained in confidential correspondence between officers of the court and the government. Kamara said the correspondence took place between April 8 and 11, 2014.
She said the Trial Chamber V (B) had also provided strict deadlines within which the government should submit to the prosecutor the information or risk the country being cited for non-cooperation with the ICC.
Any failure could also influence the conditions under which President Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto will be tried during the hearing of their cases at The Hague, she added.
Source: The Star