Bensouda fights Ruto bid to skip hearings

The ICC Prosecutor wants Deputy President William Ruto to continue attending his trial at The Hague in spite of changes to the treaty establishing the world court.
Ms Fatou Bensouda Wednesday dismissed grounds adduced by Mr Ruto’s lawyers to skip attending his trial, which is set to resume next Wednesday, arguing they failed to meet the provisions of the Rome Statute.

She also accused the defence team led by lawyer Karim Khan of failing to put forward other options away from absence from the proceedings, including video link, in their efforts to free their client.

Trial Chamber judges Chile Eboe-Osuji, Olga Herrera Carbuccia and Robert Fremr are on Monday set to rule on the appeal by Mr Ruto’s lawyers seeking their client to be granted absence from the trial proceedings after amendments to the Rome Statute.

The application’s basis are the changes made on the court’s rules of procedure and evidence, referred to as 134quater, regarding attendance of trials of accused persons who either are sitting presidents of deputy presidents in their countries.

However, Ms Bensouda argued that the amendments, which came in terms of Rule 134, did not envisage granting a blanket absence to suspects who hold high offices in their countries.

“The request should be denied for it is contrary to the plain text of Rule 134quater which does not authorise ‘blanket excusals’,” she argued.