The International Criminal Court on Tuesday began its trial of former Congolese vice president, Jean-Pierre Bemba, and four of his associates, on charges that they tampered with witnesses during Mr. Bemba’s war crimes trial.
Mr Bemba’s militia, the Movement for the Liberation of Congo were alleged to have committed war crimes including murder, rape and pillaging, during the conflict between 2002 and 2003 in the Central African Republic. ICC prosecutors charged Mr Bemba as commander-in-chief at the time, with responsibility for the international crimes committed. In the same month that submissions closed for that trial in November 2014, ICC judges confirmed charges of witness tampering against Mr Bemba and four of his associates.
The charges read out on Tuesday stated that Mr Bemba and his associates “corruptly influenced the testimony of numerous defense witnesses” between the end of 2011 and November 2013. The prosecution told the Court they had significant evidence to support the claims that witnesses were given money and instructions to provide false testimony and evidence in Mr Bemba’s war crimes trial.
Mr Bemba is still in jail at the Hague, awaiting the verdict from his war crimes trial while his four associates appeared voluntarily before the Court, having been granted interim release on October 21, 2014.
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