African may take over from Ocampo at ICC

Tanzania’s Chief Justice Mohammed Othman and International Criminal Court Deputy Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda are the top contenders to replace Mr Luis Moreno-Ocampo as prosecutor.

Ms Bensouda, a Gambian, has played a leading role in prosecuting the six Kenyans accused of bearing the greatest responsibility for post-election violence.

Deputy PM Uhuru Kenyatta, Public Service head Francis Muthaura, Postmaster-General Hussein Ali, MPs William Ruto and Henry Kosgey and broadcaster Joshua Sang will know whether their cases will proceed to full trial in January.

Kenya is said to be fronting for Mr Justice Othman, who previously worked at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), the UN Mission in East Timor, and the High-Level Commission of Inquiry on Lebanon.

He also held the position of UN expert on human rights in Sudan.

State Parties to the Rome Statutes — countries that have ratified the Statute — are yet to agree on a candidate, although they have until today to strike a deal. The November 25 deadline was extended to allow more time for consensus.

Opposed trials

The African Union, which has opposed the trials at The Hague for being too Africa-centric, is said to have endorsed Ms Bensouda.

She was appointed ICC deputy prosecutor in November 2004, after working for several years as a senior legal advisor, and later as head of the legal advisory unit at ICTR, according to The Hague Justice portal.

The States will meet again in New York on Friday to determine whether a single candidate consensus has been reached.

A statement from the court said on Wednesday: “As mandated by the Rome Statute, every effort shall be made to elect the Prosecutor by consensus.

At the December 1 informal consultations, to be held in New York, State Parties will see if there is consensus on one candidate.”

It said the two candidates were picked from a short list of four after informal consultations among State Parties.

The others are Mr Andrew Cayley, a Briton, who served as International Co-Prosecutor at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia in 2009 and Canadian Robert Petit.

The latter previously worked as a legal officer at ICTR and at the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

Mr Moreno-Ocampo’s term expires in June 2012 after serving for nine years.