ICC Jails Ex-Congo VP Bemba For Bribing Witnesses
Jean-Pierre Bemba, former Congolese vice president [/caption]
The International Criminal Court (ICC), on Wednesday, sentenced former Congolese vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba to one year imprisonment for bribing witnesses in his trial.
Bemba, who already is serving an 18-year prison term for crimes committed in Central African Republic by a militia he commanded in 2002, was also fined $324,000 along with four members of the legal team.
“The chamber imposes on you an additional 12 months, one year imprisonment,” presiding judge Bertram Schmitt told Bemba, adding that the sentence should act as a deterrent to prevent similar crimes in the future.
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The four legal team members were given sentences ranging from six months to two-and-a-half years.
They were convicted in October of corruptly influencing defense witnesses and presenting false testimony in Bemba’s trial.
