ICC appoints new judge in Uhuru’s case

By Standard Digital Reporter

The President of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Sang-Hyun Song has appointed Judge Robert Fremr to replace Judge Christine Van den Wyngaert who pulled out of case against President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Judge Fremr will join Trial Chamber V judges Kuniko Ozaki and Chile Eboe-Osuji in hearing the case against Uhuru.

Judge Wyngaert pulled out of Uhuru’s case citing heavy workload that she was handling.

In a statement, President Song, said Belgian Judge Wyngaert was excused from Trial Chamber V due to the Judge’s expected workload, as she was hearing five other cases including those of Libya, Côte d’Ivoire and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

On April 8, the Judge requested the President to excuse her from her functions as a judge of Trial Chamber V, which is hearing Uhuru’s case a month before the scheduled commencement of the trial.

“The Judge indicated that the commencement of the trials in the Kenya cases will lead to an intensification of the work of Trial Chamber V, thereby significantly adding to the Judge’s already “unprecedented” heavy workload. The Judge submits that her assignment to that Chamber was temporary, only for the purpose of the preparation of the two Kenyan cases for trial,” said ICC President.

In her memo that has now been made public, Judge Wyngaert said thus: “For almost a year, I have been seized of 5 different cases: This is, by all standards, an unprecedented and unusually high workload for a judge.”