Another witness quits Ruto case

 

 

International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. 0

The withdrawal of another key witness in the International Criminal Court (ICC) case against Deputy President William Ruto has turned the spotlight on the Prosecution, raising questions on how it will manage to sustain trials in the present circumstances.

The performance of the Prosecutor is expected to come under scrutiny during a status conference Tuesday at The Hague.

Victims of the 2008 violence have placed much faith in the ICC, but recent events continue to dampen their spirits.

Charges have been dropped against three of the six initial suspects because of the difficulty of building cases.

And even as the ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda continues to put on a brave face with declarations that she has strong evidence, the withdrawal of key witnesses would appear to weaken her case ahead of Mr Ruto’s trial expected later this year.

So far, the prosecution has lost 13 key witnesses in the twin cases involving President Uhuru Kenyatta, Mr Ruto and radio journalist Joshua Sang. Mr Kenyatta’ co-accused, former head of Public Service Francis Muthaura, has been discharged.