The International Criminal Court (ICC) judges have elected a Nigerian Judge, Chile Eboe-Osuji as new President of the Court for a three-year term with immediate effect.
In the same vein, Judge Robert Fremr (Czech Republic) was elected First Vice-President and Judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut (France) Second Vice-President.
In his address shortly after his election, the new ICC President said he’s deeply honoured to have been elected by his pers as President of the Criminal court, promising to do his best and uphold the tenets of the profession and the Court.
“I am deeply honoured to have been elected by my peers as President of the International Criminal Court. As I take up my duties, I feel encouraged that I am able to rely on the wide experience of the two Vice-Presidents, Judge Robert Fremr and Judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, both of whom I have closely worked with previously. I look forward to working together with them as well as with all the judges, all the Officials and the staff of the Court in a spirit of collegiality. I also look forward to collaborating with the Assembly of States Parties, civil society and the international community at large, acting together to strengthen and reinforce the Rome Statute system, the 20th anniversary of the adoption of which we celebrate this year”, President Chile Eboe-Osuji stated following the election.
Speaking further, President Eboe-Osuji said: “I am also grateful to the previous President, Judge Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, and Vice-Presidents, Judges Joyce Aluoch and Kuniko Ozaki, for their work and leadership,” he added.
The Criminal Court Presidency, which consists of the President and the two Vice-Presidents, plays a key role in providing strategic leadership to the ICC as a whole. The Presidency coordinates with the other organs and seeks the concurrence of the Prosecutor on matters of mutual concern.
As enshrined in the Rome Statute, the ICC’s governing treaty, the Presidency is responsible for the proper administration of the Court, with the exception of the Office of the Prosecutor. The Presidency oversees the activities of the Registry and provides input into a broad range of administrative policies affecting the Court’s overall functioning.
The presidency also conducts judicial review of certain decisions of the Registrar and concludes Court-wide cooperation agreements with States and international organizations.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal that sits in The Hague in the Netherlands with 123 member states . The ICC has the jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in all member states which are party to the Rome Statute.
