Ocampo seeks to be allocates 15 of 40 hours at confirmation

By Evelyn Kwamboka

The International Criminal Court prosecutor Louis Moreno-Ocampo now says he will need 15 hours to present his arguments and cross-examine witnesses at the confirmation of charges hearing scheduled for September 1.

"Assuming the entire hearing takes 40 hours, this will allow the defence to have substantially more time than the prosecution. The prosecution would, of course, endeavour to use less than the 15 hours, if it turns out that cross-examination of the defence witnesses would not be necessary," he said.

Ocampo said this as some of the post-election violence suspects made a second move to have the hearings suspended. They want the hearings suspended, pending hearing and determination of appeal to Pre-Trial Chamber II judge Ekaterina Trendafilova’s decision in which she declined to have the September 1 hearing postponed for six weeks.

Defence’s intent

In his document filed at the court’s registry, Ocampo said it would be impossible to assume the hearing would take less than the 15 hours because he does not know what the five witnesses lined up by the defence would testify.

The confirmation of charges hearing against Eldoret North MP William Ruto, Tinderet MP Henry Kosgey and radio presenter Joshua Sang is set for September 1.

"The prosecution observes that the defence’s intent to convert this confirmation hearing into a full-blown trial on the merits is an abuse of the confirmation process. Confirmation is not intended to be a mini-trial, an evidentiary hearing at which both sides are to be heard and assessed and guilt determined," he said.