ICC Prosecutor: Nigerian Judge Morris Anyah dey among shortlisted candidates for Friday election

Member states of di International Criminal Court (ICC) go meet today for New York later today to elect a new prosecutor.

One Nigerian, Judge Morris Anyah dey among di nine candidates wey dey on di shortlist to replace Gambia Fatou Bensouda wey im tenure as Chief Prosecutor go end for June.

Bensouda don dey for di position of di ICC Chief Prosecutor since 2011- afta she replace Argentine lawyer Luis Moreno Ocampo. During her tenure, she secure more sentences like her predecessor – di latest na dat of di former Ugandan rebel commander Dominic Ongwen wey dis month dey found guilty of war crimes.

Di election

Di election go be by secret ballot but usually na consensus dey settle am. di Prosecutor go dey elected for a nine-year term and no go fit dey re-elected. All 123 member states dey qualified to vote for di 3rd prosecutor of di court. (33 out of di 123 na from Africa). Dem delay di process because of protest say na only four candidates dem first put on di list, now e don be 9.

Meet di candidates

Judge Morris AnyahNigerian, currently dey work as Administrative Law Judge for Illinois, USA. He previously work as trial and appeals counsel Anyah and don argue for di prosecution in some of di most important genocide cases on appeal before international tribunals, including those against former Rwandan prime minister Jean Kambanda, and Jean-Paul Akayesu.

Between 2007 and 2012, Anyah serve as co-defence counsel to former Liberian president Charles Taylor before di Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL).

Anyah dey appointed in August 2011 by Pre-Trial Chamber II of di ICC to serve as Common Legal Representative to 233 Kenyan victims before di ICC and e cross-examine di en Deputy Prime Minister of Kenya (now President of Kenya), President Uhuru Kenyatta, during di Confirmation of di Charges Hearing.

For May of 2012, Special Court for Sierra Leone appoint Anyah dey to serve as di Lead Appeals Counsel to Charles Taylor. Anyah na former prosecutor for Chicago for three years before e join di Office of di Prosecutor for di International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for di The Hague in 1999.

Education

1991 – Bachelor of Arts (criminal justice), University of Illinois at Chicago, U.S.A.

1993 – Master of Arts (criminal justice), University of Illinois at Chicago, U.S.A.

1996 – Juris Doctor (law degree), University of Dayton School of Law, Ohio, U.S.A.

Other candidates profile

Karim Khan – Top British Lawyer wey lead di counsel for di ICC cases wey face Kenya Deputy President William Ruto. He also be di counsel for Gaddafi son Saifd Al Islam for di ICC. He work for di ICTY and he represent thousands of Kenyans from di Talai community wey dey seek compensation against British colonial rule. He dey serve now as di UN Special adviser on di ISIS Cases.

Robert Petit – Canadian Prosecutor na former prosecutor for di Khmer Rouge tribunal in Cambodia.

Susan Okalany – Ugandan judge Susan Okalany dey di Uganda High Court since 2016. Before then she work as a State prosecutor- notably being di lead prosecutor for di Kampala Bombings trial wey begin for March 2015.

Fergal Gaynor – IRELAND- Co prosecutor for di Khmer Rouge tribunal in Cambodia. He don represent victims of war crimes and genocide and e take part in di case against Bosnian Serb former leader Radovan Karadzic.

Fernandez Castresana – SPAIN- Na career Public Prosecutor for Spain. He currently dey work as Prosecutor for di Court of Auditors. He don investigate and prosecuted high-level corruption cases and other transnational complex crimes.

Francesco Lo Voi- ITALY – Di Chief District Prosecutor in Palermo, Italy. He don dey work as judge and as a prosecutor since 1990. He serve as a member of di Italian Council for di Judiciary. He don investigate and prosecute Cosa Nostra, and other large-scale organized crime cases.

Brigitte Raynaud – FRANCE – Deputy Prosecutor for di Paris Court of Appeals since 2019. She don serve as a Judge for di French judiciary courts since 1998, including as an Examining Judge for di Paris military tribunal overseeing offences committed in di context of foreign operations (Kosovo, Djibouti, Senegal, Chad, Rwanda, Togo, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire).

Richard Roy – CANADA – Currently Senior General Counsel with di Public Prosecutor Service of Canada.