Bemba loses bribery appeal as judges order new sentence
The war crimes court agrees that the original trial judges did not sufficiently consider the gravity of the crime
The Hague — War crimes judges on Thursday rejected an appeal by former Congolese vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba against a bribery conviction, calling instead for a new jail term to be imposed. The appeals judges ruled to "reverse" the sentences imposed on Bemba and two of his co-accused and "remand the matter to the original trial chamber for a new determination of their sentences". Bemba, 55, had appealed against his conviction, a one-year jail term and a €300,000 fine imposed last year by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for bribing 14 defence witnesses to lie for him in his main war crimes trial. It was the first such corruption case at the court in The Hague to be successfully prosecuted since it opened its doors in 2002. The five appeals judges on Thursday dismissed all Bemba’s 12 grounds of appeal, finding instead in favour of the prosecution. Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda had also appealed, calling for a five-year term for all five defendants, saying the original se...
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