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Bensouda given one week order over Uhuru case
ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda during a past press briefing. PHOTO | FILE
The International Criminal Court (ICC) trial chamber on Wednesday gave Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda one week to table new evidence against President Uhuru Kenyatta or terminate the case.
Ms Bensouda also suffered another blow after the Hague-based Court rejected a request to further adjourn the case on grounds that Kenyan government is non-cooperative in the trial.
The case against Mr Kenyatta, accused of stoking inter-ethnic violence after 2007 General Elections, has been postponed several times as the prosecutor tried to gather evidence against him.
The ICC also rejected Mr Kenyatta’s plea to drop the charges due to lack of evidence.
“Today, 3 December 2014, Trial Chamber V(B) issued a decision rejecting the prosecution’s request for a further adjournment of the case against Uhuru Kenyatta,” the ICC said in a statement.
“The Chamber instead directed the prosecution to file a notice, within one week, indicating either its withdrawal of the charges in this case, or that the evidentiary basis has improved to a degree which would justify proceeding to trial.”
It also rejected Ms Bensouda’s plea to declare Kenya government as non-cooperative.
Prosecutors had asked for the phone and bank records in a last ditch attempt to find evidence to shore up their case.
The international court noted that the prosecutor is free to file fresh charges against Mr Uhuru after termination.
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