A Nigerian jurist at the International Criminal Court
(ICC) has been elected president of the war crimes
tribunal.
Chile Eboe-Osuji, who became the first Nigerian to be
elevated to the court in 2012, would serve as ICC
president for the next three years.
The announcement was contained in a statement
posted on ICC website on Sunday.
See the full statement below:
“On the 11th March 2018, the judges of the International
Criminal Court (ICC), sitting in a plenary session,
elected Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji (Nigeria) as President
of the Court for a three-year term with immediate
effect. Judge Robert Fremr(Czech Republic) was
elected First Vice-President and Judge Marc Perrin de
Brichambaut (France) Second Vice-President.”
The new appointee was also quoted in the statement.
“I am deeply honoured to have been elected by my
peers as President of the International Criminal Court.
As I take up my duties, I feel encouraged that I am able
to rely on the wide experience of the two Vice-
Presidents, Judge Robert Fremr and Judge Marc Perrin
de Brichambaut, both of whom I have closely worked
with previously.
“I look forward to working together with them as well
as with all the judges, all the Officials and the staff of
the Court in a spirit of collegiality. I also look forward to
collaborating with the Assembly of States Parties, civil
society and the international community at large, acting
together to strengthen and reinforce the Rome Statute
system, the 20th anniversary of the adoption of which
we celebrate this year”, President Chile Eboe-Osuji
stated following the election.
“I am also grateful to the previous President, Judge
Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, and Vice-Presidents,
Judges Joyce Aluoch and Kuniko Ozaki, for their work
and leadership,” he added.
The Presidency – consisting of the President and the
two Vice-Presidents – plays a key role in providing
strategic leadership to the ICC as a whole.
The Presidency coordinates with the other organs and
seeks the concurrence of the Prosecutor on matters of
mutual concern. In accordance with the Rome Statute,
the ICC’s governing treaty, the Presidency is
responsible for the proper administration of the Court,
with the exception of the Office of the Prosecutor.
The Presidency oversees the activities of the Registry
and provides input into a broad range of administrative
policies affecting the Court’s overall functioning.
Furthermore it conducts judicial review of certain
decisions of the Registrar and concludes Court-wide
cooperation agreements with States and international
organisation.
