schema:articleBody
| - International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda called on Kenya Wednesday to hand over two men suspected of interfering with prosecution witnesses, after another suspect surrendered to the tribunal earlier this week. Kenyan lawyer Paul Gicheru handed himself over on Monday and is to make an initial appearance before judges at the Hague-based ICC on Friday, court officials confirmed. Gicheru is facing charges of bribing six prosecution witnesses in an ICC crimes against humanity case against Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto. Two other men, Philip Kipkoech Bett and Walter Barasa are also wanted on similar accusations. "I call on the Kenyan authorities to fulfil their obligations under the Rome Statute to ensure the surrender of the remaining two suspects to the custody of the court," Bensouda said in a statement, issued late Wednesday. This is "so that their guilt or innocence on the charges against them may be determined in a court of law," she said. Bensouda in 2016 and 2014 dropped cases against Ruto and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta after investigations collapsed against the two senior Kenyan leaders. Bensouda blamed "a relentless campaign to identify individuals who could serve as prosecution witnesses in the case en ensure they don't testify," as the main reason for her decision to drop the charges against Ruto. In Kenyatta's case, there was not enough evidence to prosecute him, Bensouda said at the time. Both men were wanted by the court for their alleged roles in 2007-08 post-election violence that rocked the east African country. Both Kenyatta and Ruto strenuously denied the prosecution's claims against them. More than 1,300 people died and some 600,000 others were left homeless after disputed elections in Kenya's worst wave of violence since independence from Britain in 1963. Bensouda on Wednesday said the "integrity of witnesses is essential for the court's determination of the truth," adding her office would continue to probe and prosecute "individuals who attempt to pervert the course of justice by interfering with ICC witnesses." jhe/pvh
|