The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has submitted to Trial Chamber V the list of witnesses to testify against Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, Eldoret North MP William Ruto, Former Head of Civil Service Francis Muthaura and journalist Joshua arap Sang at The Hague.
Bensouda concealed the list containing the names of the witnesses with the document marked Confidential ex parte Annex A submitted to the ICC judges.
Bensouda stated the list contains the names of witnesses whom the Chamber has granted delayed disclosure or for whom an application is pending.
The prosecution also released the summaries of the main facts on which each witness is expected to testify and the list of evidence to be relied upon at trial.
They have also given out a pre trial brief.
Bensouda has also included the amount of time each witness might take in testifying.
“The Prosecution estimates that it will require approximately 826 hours of court time. This estimate includes the time projected for the Prosecution’s questioning of its 43 fact witnesses (totaling approximately 383 hours),” she stated.
The Prosecution’s questioning of the three proposed experts (currently estimated at approximately no more than 30 hours in total) and the time the Defence will take in questioning the witnesses (totaling approximately 413 hours).
“The 826 hour estimate does not include time that the Chamber may grant to the Office of Public Counsel for Victims or the common legal representative to question Prosecution witnesses, or time that the Chamber may use to question witnesses,” a court document signed by Bensouda stated.
Bensouda at the same time stated that she was having a hard time in taking statements from some government institutions.
“Governmental institutional restrictions are currently preventing the Prosecution from taking the statements from the identified individuals and gauging their willingness or ability to testify for the Prosecution, or from gaining free access to the materials it may wish to tender into evidence,” she stated.
She however said they have approached several State Parties, including the Kenyan Government in order to gain access to individuals and materials.
The four Kenyans are facing charges against humanity at the ICC following chaos that erupted after the disputed 2007 polls.
Source:standardmedia.co.ke
