Today ICC Presidency recomposed Trial Chamber VII in the case concerning Mr Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, Aimé Kilolo Musamba, Jean-Jacques Mangenda Kabongo, Fidèle Babala Wandu and Narcisse Arido.
On 24 August 2014, the Presidency of the International Criminal Court (ICC) replaced two Judges of Trial Chamber VII in the case The Prosecutor v. Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, Aimé Kilolo Musamba, Jean-Jacques Mangenda Kabongo, Fidèle Babala Wandu and Narcisse Arido. Trial Chamber VII is now composed of Judges Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, Bertram Schmitt and Raul Pangalangan.
The ICC Presidency granted the requests of excusal of Judges Olga Herrera Carbuccia and Chile Eboe Osuji, both previously assigned to Trial Chamber VII and who continue to be assigned, together with Judge Robert Fremr, to Trial Chamber V(a) in charge of the trial in the case of The Prosecutor v. William Samoei Ruto and Joshua Arap Sang.
Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, Aimé Kilolo Musamba, Jean-Jacques Mangenda Kabongo, Fidèle Babala Wandu and Narcisse Arido are accused of offences against the administration of justice allegedly committed in connection with the case The Prosecutor v. Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, consisting of corruptly influencing witnesses before the ICC and presenting evidence that they knew to be false or forged.
The opening of the trial is scheduled for 29 September 2015.
In another hand, also on 21 August 2014, the Presidency of the International Criminal Court (ICC) re-assigned the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to Pre-Trial Chamber I, in view of the respective workload of the two ICC Pre-Trial Chambers and the need to ensure the proper administration of the Court.
On 17 March 2015, the ICC Presidency had issued a decision constituting Pre-Trial Chambers in which, inter alia, the situations concerning Côte d’Ivoire, Libya, Mali and Registered Vessels were assigned to Pre-Trial Chamber I and the two situations in the Central African Republic, together with the situations in Darfur, Kenya and Uganda were assigned to Pre-Trial Chamber II.
Pre-Trial Chamber I is composed of Judge Joyce Aluoch, Presiding Judge, Judge Cuno Tarfusser and Judge Péter Kovács.
The situation in DRC was referred to the Court by the DRC government in April 2004. The Prosecutor opened an investigation in June 2004. In the context of this situation, six cases have been brought before the ICC Judges who have issued 7 arrest warrants.
One case is currently at the pre-trial stage; the case concerning Sylvestre Mudacumura. The ICC Prosecutor continues its investigations regarding this situation.
