Gambian Secures Top ICC Post

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Gambian Secures Top ICC Post

Thursday, 01 December 2011 00:35

Fatou Bensouda

(AFP) - International Criminal Court member countries on Wednesday agreed to nominate Fatou Bensouda of Gambia as the chief prosecutor for the main war crimes tribunal, diplomatic sources said.

An official announcement of the nomination to replace Luis Moreno-Ocampo, chief prosecutor for the past nine years, is to be made in New York on Thursday. Bensouda is currently Moreno-Ocampo's deputy.

Fatou Bensouda (AFP/File, Seyllou Diallo)

Top officials from the nearly 120 countries which have signed up to the court's governing treaty met in New York on Wednesday in a bid to whittle down the final two candidates.

Bensouda had been in competition with Mohamed Chande Othman, chief justice of Tanzania after candidates from Britain and Canada withdrew from the final group of four.

"The meeting wanted consensus and it was reached behind Ms Bensouda, she will be nominated," said one diplomat. The decision was confirmed by other officials. All spoke on condition of anonymity as no official decision has been announced.

Bensouda, a former justice minister in Gambia, had been one of 52 candidates for the high profile post which is based in The Hague.

Moreno-Ocampo has issued arrest warrants for Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir for genocide and has been negotiating with Libyan authorities after the detention of Moamer Kadhafi's son, Seif al-Islam, who is also wanted by the ICC.

Africa had been pressing to get the position as the overwhelming majority of the court's investigations involve the continent.

The official election for the post will be held on December 12 at the annual meeting of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute which governs the ICC. The prosecutor can only serve one nine-year term. Moreno-Ocampo officially stands down next June.

Comments

-1 #12 2011-12-07 12:07

The lady has done well and made us all proud as Gambians. I wish her well and I hope she will handle the mantle of leadership with dignity and honesty. We are counting on her and we hope she will weigh in her weight as such an influential lady in the world justice order to make sure justice prevail at all cost including her back yard. There is no better starting point for her than the sad situation of Gambia and her people. We have suffered and we continue to suffer under the dictates of the so call professor of torture. She is lawyer of the highest order who have excelled through dedication and hard work to the highest station of the legal profession

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-1 #11 2011-12-07 12:05

The lady has done well and made us all proud as Gambians. I wish her well and I hope she will handle the mantle of leadership with dignity and honesty. We are counting on her and we hope she will weigh in her weight as such an influential lady in the world justice order to make sure justice prevail at all cost including her back yard. There is no better starting point for her than the sad situation of Gambia and her people. We have suffered and we continue to suffer under the dictates of the so call professor of torture. She is lawyer of the highest order who has excelled through dedication and hard work to the highest station of the legal profession.

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+4 #10 2011-12-04 10:38

wish you all the best.and we in holland are very happy.and you deserve it iron lady.
Allah protect you.

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+3 #9 2011-12-02 00:22

ALHAMDULILLAH, Allah has answered our prayers, may allah continue to guide and protect you, amen.

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+4 #8 2011-12-01 22:25

Mike
Just to inform you that some one used the initial ML to confront you but not the original ML who started using the initial.

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+2 #7 2011-12-01 21:45

Folks,
Given that Mrs. Bensouda knows about the atrocities going in The Gambia, we should start a petition addressed to her to get Yaya Jammeh the Kanilai Monster indicted by the International Criminal Court. As they say "charity begins at home". There is no better criminal against humanity than Yaya Jammeh as ably put by USA Today. Bensouda needs to make sure that Yaya Jammeh faces international justice. So, lets all lobby for this. For those who know her, please call her.

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0 #6 2011-12-01 21:45

Guys and Ladies here:
Let us wish F.Mata all the best but I too shall be please if She can do a favour for us one Day to seeing George The Bush and Tony Blair Sorry Tony Liar to be Handcuff at Hague, If only crime against human is the intention of that Justice Bonanza !
So Fatou don't be surprise if you receive files from some of us concerning these two Boys I mention above here.

In the service of Truth I remain

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0 #5 2011-12-01 20:31

my fellow gambians, be happy for mrs Bensouda when she get the job, but you gotta understand that she is very very very cozy with Yahya jammeh. in fact, so cozy that you will all wish someone else gets the job she is seeking.

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+2 #4 2011-12-01 19:39

Congratulations Ms Bensouda. First Gambian to hold such a high profile job, you've made us all very proud. This is the sort of news we want to hear; not idiotic statements from our leader who is making us the laughing stock of the world.

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