Mr William Ruto. Photo/FILE NATION MEDIA GROUP
Deputy President William Ruto will be out of the country for three weeks attending court proceedings in The Hague when his trial begins next month.
The ICC Trial Chamber Thursday rejected Mr Ruto’s proposal to hold the proceedings for two weeks followed by breaks of similar periods, saying the judges would sit continuously from September 10 to October 4 when they will adjourn for one week.
Mr Ruto will be required in The Hague for another three weeks, starting from October 11 to November 5 when the court will take a break to prepare for the beginning of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s trial.
Trial Chamber judges Chile Eboe-Osuji, Olga Herreria Carbuccia and Robert Fremr upheld the schedule they gave the defence lawyers for Mr Ruto on Monday last week during the status conference in The Hague.
“The Chamber recalls its announcement made at the status conference of August 19, 2013 that it intends to sit on a daily basis until October 4, 2013.
The Chamber shall then adjourn for a period of one week, following which it will continue to sit on a daily basis until the commencement of the Kenyatta case, scheduled for November 12,” the judges stated in their ruling Thursday.
While stating that they were aware of Mr Ruto’s responsibilities as the Deputy President, the judges were clear that the need for speedy conclusion of the trial was paramount.
Periodical breaks
They argued that the proposals by Mr Ruto’s lawyer Karim Khan, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and victims legal representative for periodical breaks were not in line with the need for speedy hearings of the case.
However, the judges agreed with Mr Khan that they would review the schedule of Mr Ruto’s trial sittings when President Kenyatta’s case starts.
“...there may be a need to modify the sitting schedule in the present case once the trial in the Kenyatta case commences,” they said.
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