Lenah
Follow us
Justice Hub
  • My Justice
  • News
  • Insights
  • Justice Explained
  • About Us
No Result
View All Result
Justice Hub
  • My Justice
  • News
  • Insights
  • Justice Explained
  • About Us
No Result
View All Result
Justice Hub
No Result
View All Result

Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé face a joint trial

March 11, 2015
in News
0
0
Home News
FacebookTwitterLinkedInWhatsappEmail

Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court has granted the prosecutor’s request to join the cases concerning Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé. What does this mean?

By Antoine Panaite

Q: What is a joint trial and how does it come about?

Article 64(5) of the Rome Statute allows for what is called a joinder. A Trial Chamber can make this decision if it believes that the charges facing two or more accused warrant a joint trial. So, trying Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé together amounts to trying them in a single trial. According to the ruling, it’s the first time a request for a joinder has been filed before an ICC  Trial Chamber and also the first time it has accepted been accepted.

Q: Why was the prosecutor’s request accepted?

According to the prosecutor, the two cases were sufficiently similar to warrant a joint trial. The judges agreed with her. It’s likely that the case will start before the end of 2015.

The Chamber concluded that a joint trial is appropriate to ensure “a fair and expeditious trial”. The Chamber agreed with the prosecution that even though the cases are not completely identical, the charges against the former president and his former minister are sufficiently similar to be dealt with in a joint case. The judges noted that the conduct of Gbagbo and Blé Goudé are “closely linked” and that “largely the same evidence” has been dislosed.

According to the judges, “the joinder of the cases would serve the interest of justice by avoiding the duplication of a significant body of evidence that shall be presented to the Chamber, and by ensuring consistency in the presentation and assessment of the evidence. The Chamber also noted that the cases’ joinder would allow for a better use of the Court’s resources and would reduce the exposure of and hardship to witnesses, who otherwise may have to testify twice.” 

Q: What do the lawyers of Gbagbo and Blé Goudé think?

Charles Blé Goudé’s lawyer said the prosecutor had not provided sufficient evidence to join the two cases. According to the defence counsel, the charges facing Charles Blé Goudé are significantly different than those facing the former president. In addition, the defence argued that even if the charges were sufficiently similar, a joint trial would seriously prejudice Blé Goudé. Blé Goudé’s  defence team accused the prosecutor of having made this request only because “such a major change in the procedural framework would benefit the Office of the Prosecutor’s work in the two cases”.

Laurent Gbagbo’s defence counsel, Emmanuel Altit, argued that joining the charges “would obscure the arguments and make any discussion or clarity about responsibility impossible”. 

Click here to find out more about the prosecutor’s charges against Charles Blé Goudé. 

If you’d like to find out more about the Ivorian ICC cases (in French), visit our sister site:Ivoire Justice. 

Tags: ICC (International Criminal Court)Ivory CoastJustice News
ShareTweetShareSendSend

Justice Hub

Justice Hub is an online platform connecting conversations about international justice.

Related Posts

ICL Media Review: Russian veterans seek ICC investigation into use of mercenaries in Syria
ICL Media Review

ICL Media Review: Russian veterans seek ICC investigation into use of mercenaries in Syria

by ICL Media Review
November 18, 2019
0
27

In this week's review, news about the ECCC conviction of Chea and Samphan for genocide, the adjournment of Kwoyelo’s trial...

Read more
NPWJ: Trump’s Transgender Military Ban Gets a Boost

NPWJ: Trump’s Transgender Military Ban Gets a Boost

January 24, 2019
43
ICL Media Review: Charles Taylor’s ex-wife pleads not guilty in UK trial on torture in Liberia

ICL Media Review: Charles Taylor’s ex-wife pleads not guilty in UK trial on torture in Liberia

January 24, 2019
39
ICL Media Review: Uganda ordered to compensate former LRA fighter Thomas Kwoyelo

ICL Media Review: Uganda ordered to compensate former LRA fighter Thomas Kwoyelo

January 24, 2019
31
NPWJ: European Parliament to hold hearing on the current human rights and humanitarian situation in Yemen

NPWJ: European Parliament to hold hearing on the current human rights and humanitarian situation in Yemen

January 22, 2019
46

Justice Hub

Justice Hub is an online platform connecting conversations about international justice.

Justice Hub

Justice Hub is an online platform aimed at a worldwide audience of 18-35 year olds, especially in countries where people are looking for sustainable and innovative solutions to problems of justice, peace and security. Justice can feel too abstract, too often owned by experts. We make the conversations lively and accessible.

Follow Us

Quick Links

  • Featured
  • My Justice
  • News
  • Insights
  • Justice Explained
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

 

  HPPJ Forum Login
Creative Commons Licence
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
No Result
View All Result
  • My Justice
  • News
  • Insights
  • Justice Explained
  • About Us

© 2018 Justice Hub

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

*By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Login

Lost password?
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.

REPUBLISHING TERMS

You may republish this article online or in print under our Creative Commons license. You may not edit or shorten the text, you must attribute the article to Aeon and you must include the author’s name in your republication.

If you have any questions, please email nsharafa@gmail.com

License

Creative Commons License AttributionCreative Commons Attribution
Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé face a joint trial