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| The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. Photo: ICC-CPI/Max Koot |
23 November 2013 – Four people have been arrested for alleged
witness tampering in the war crimes trial of former Congolese vice
president Jean-Pierre Bemba, the International Criminal Court (ICC) today announced.
The four men are accused of “corruptly influencing witnesses before the
ICC and presenting evidence that they knew to be false or forged,”
according to a news release from The Hague-based Court.
It is alleged that the suspects were part of a network for the purposes
of presenting false or forged documents and bribing certain persons to
give false testimony in the case against Mr. Bemba, whose trial started
in November 2010.
The four men, arrested today and yesterday following a warrant issued on
20 November by Judge Cuno Tarfusser, include Mr. Bemba's Lead Counsel
Aimé Kilolo Musamba taken into custody by Belgian authorities, and
Jean-Jacques Mangenda Kabongo, a member of Mr Bemba's defence team and
case manager, who was arrested in the Netherlands.
The two other men are Fidèle Babala Wandu, a member of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC) Parliament and Deputy Secretary General of
the Mouvement pour la Libération du Congo - who was taken into custody
in the DRC - and Narcisse Arido, a Defence witness, who was arrested by
French authorities.
“On behalf of the Court, the Registrar of the ICC, Herman von Hebel,
expressed his gratitude to the States' authorities for their
cooperation,” the ICC said, adding that these are the first arrests made
in relation to such charges before the Court.
Mr. Bemba is the alleged President and Commander-in-Chief of the
Mouvement de libération du Congo being tried for two counts of crimes
against humanity (rape and murder) and three counts of war crimes (rape,
murder and pillaging) allegedly committed in the Central African
Republic (CAR).
Established by the Rome Statute of 1998, the ICC can try cases involving
individuals charged with war crimes committed since July 2002. The
Security Council, the ICC Prosecutor or a State Party to the court can
initiate any proceedings, and the ICC only acts when countries
themselves are unwilling or unable to investigate or prosecute.
UN NEWS CENTRE
UN NEWS CENTRE
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