ICC: Malami Makes Case For Credible Successor After Prosecutor Indicted Nigeria’s Military

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami SAN has advised on the need to elect credible candidates to succeed the outgoing prosecutor and judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Malami expressed Nigeria’s position on Monday at the 19th session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, at Hague, Netherlands.

“Nigeria wishes to reiterate the need not to compromise the issue of high moral character of candidates seeking elective offices within the Court system as that is the only way the credibility of the Court can be sustained,” he said.

Malami’s comments is coming after ICC’s Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, had on Friday, announced that it will open investigation into allegations of crimes against humanity said to have been committed by Nigeria’s Security Forces against Nigerians.

THE WHISTLER learnt today (Monday) that Bensouda made her last opening address as ICC Prosecutor to the ASP , paving way for the selection of another prosecutor.

Her words:

“This is my last opening address to the Assembly as ICC Prosecutor.

“I’m also proud that we have demonstrated that we, as an Office, always pay homage to the Rome Statute without fear or favour. We must not allow cause of int. criminal justice to be sacrificed at the altar of political expediency.

“To my successor, whomever that may be, and those electing him or her, I would like to stress that assuming office as Prosecutor means an unyielding devotion to the pursuit of international criminal justice, without fear or favour, even in the face of adversity, and a commitment to honourably and with integrity discharge a complex multi-faceted mandate, one that is largely without precedent with investigations and preliminary examinations covering situations spanning the globe. During my tenure, I have done my utmost to live by these convictions in the service of the Rome.”

On his part, Malami stressed that all parties must support ICC to discharge its international obligations, which is geared towards effective prosecution of human rights cases across the globe.

“I note with great consternation that the promise and hope offered by the Rome Statute to victims of atrocious crimes worldwide is increasingly threatened by a retreat in multilateral engagement and rising tides of hostility, discrimination, and repression around the world,” he added, as quoted in the statement by his Spokesperson Dr Umar Jibrilu Gwandu.

However, he cautioned that parties should not underplay the conditions of service of the judges of the International Court of Justice.

“It is true that the conditions of service of the ICC judges need not be formally linked to those of ICJ judges. But it is important to stress that ICC Judges are not inferior to their counterparts at the ICJ or at the other International Courts in Europe. That equality of stature must also be reflected in parity of treatment in conditions of service,” he said.

He also praised the outgoing Nigerian President of the ICC ,Eboe-Osuji, for his extraordinary feats during his time in office.

“Malami said Nigeria underscores the importance of maintaining the usual arrangement in the administration of international justice, according to which judges of International Courts are compensated at a level above Under Secretaries General in the UN system (USGs),” the statement partly read.