Future of war crimes politician to be decided

– Former Congolese vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba will know today whether he will be freed following his acquittal last week on war crimes charges, the International Criminal Court (ICC) said yesterday.

Despite predictions of an imminent release, presiding judge Bertram Schmitt told a packed public gallery “a decision on Mr Bemba’s detention will come tomorrow by the latest.”

Bemba was not in court, but his defence lawyers argued that he should be let go “without delay”, telling journalists after yesterday’s hearing at the ICC that “the message has to be that the case is over.”

Bemba was acquitted on appeal on Friday by the Hague court, who said he could not be held criminally liable for crimes committed by his troops in the Central African Republic in 2002-2003.

The surprise decision came after Bemba, had been sentenced unanimously to 18 years in 2016 by ICC trial judges. –