I want more arrested: Bensouda

International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda on Wednesday said she wanted several people arrested for allegedly influencing witnesses.

Without giving the exact number of those under her office’s surveillance, Ms Bensouda was categorical that more arrest warrants could be on the way.

This was after she obtained a warrant of arrest for Mr Walter Osapiri Barasa, an Eldoret-based correspondent.

“What we have discovered in the course of our investigation is that this is a network,” said Ms Bensouda at a press conference at The Hague soon after the warrant of the arrest of Mr Barasa became public.

“It is not just one person but other people are involved in this scheme. Our investigations continue and there could be people we would issue warrants of arrest against,” she said, adding that her office was still investigating.

“One thing we should know is that those people who are involved in doing this go to great lengths to cover their identities. We may not know everybody involved in it now but certainly there is more than one person. I am not yet in a position to give a definite number of who these people are,” she added.

According to the prosecutor, the court had made efforts to arrest Mr Barasa in a third country, which she declined to mention, but did not succeed.

EXECUTE WARRANT

She challenged the Kenya Government to execute the arrest warrant as a demonstration of its cooperation with the court.

“I believe that sending this warrant to Kenya now is an opportunity for Kenya Government to demonstrate their cooperation which they say they have been giving to the ICC. This is an opportune moment to arrest Barasa and surrender him to the court,” she said at the international press conference in her office.

Ms Bensouda said the Office of the Prosecutor went directly for the warrant of arrest instead of summons to appear because it was the most suitable at the moment. She also avoided directly accusing the government of witness tampering, insisting that the scheme comprised individuals.

On whether the government of Kenya had responded to the warrant of arrest, Ms Bensouda also took a cautious approach saying that was upon the registry of the ICC to follow up.

“This is an issue the registry is dealing with because that is not in my office directly but I understand the registry has actually served the warrants of arrest on the government of Kenya for execution,” she said.

The prosecutor further declined to confirm or deny whether Mr Barasa had in the past been an intermediary for the prosecution. According to Ms Bensouda, “at this moment this is something I prefer to discuss before the judges but we cannot go to any new situation without the assistance of people on the ground. We need that assistance to start our investigative activities.”

The prosecutor also denied that the arrest warrant against Mr Barasa was an attempt to gag the media.