On the first day of the confirmation hearings at the Hague, William Ruto, Henry Kosgey and Joshua arap Sang through their lawyers and in person all made impassioned submissions in their defence, dismissing the merit of the charges laid against them and claiming innocence over the 2008 post election violence.
And before that, the three suspects through their lawyers challenged the jurisdiction of the international criminal court. From The Hague, NTV’s John- Allan Namu reports.
The confirmation of charges hearing for William Ruto, Henry Kosgey, and Joshua arap Sang began on September 1, 2011 at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. The hearing was presided over by Judge Ekaterina Trendafilova.
Background
Ruto, Kosgey, and Sang were three of six Kenyan suspects accused of involvement in the Post-Election Violence (PEV) in Kenya from late 2007 to early 2008.
The charges against the men included murder, deportation, forcible transfer of population, and persecution.
The case against Ruto and Sang was terminated in April 2016.
Hearing details
The confirmation of charges hearing for Ruto, Kosgey, and Sang took place from September 1 to 8, 2011.
The hearing officially closed on September 8, 2011.
The judges determined that the evidence was not sufficient to convict Ruto and Sang.
The majority decision to terminate the case left open the possibility that the prosecution could be revived in the future.
