By Francis H. Murray
The advisory committee on nominations of judges at the Internal Criminal Court (ICC) has approved the nomination of Sierra Leone’s Court of Appeal Judge, Justice Miatta Maria Samba to serve at the world court.
The ICC was established to investigate, and where warranted, try individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community, including genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crimes of aggression.
Justice Samba’s clearance follows the completion of a verification exercise on her professional experience as well as her performance in an interview conducted by the committee which eventually qualified her for consideration for appointment to the ICC bench.
The Committee is mandated by the ICC Assembly of States Parties to submit information and analysis to States Parties on assessing the qualities of candidates nominated to serve at the court.
‘‘Based on both her professional experience and the answers during the interview, the Committee concluded that the candidate is highly qualified for appointment as judge of the International Criminal Court,’’ an ICC release notes.
Authorities said they took into consideration the candidate’s extensive and wide-ranging national judicial experience, serving as judge of the High Court of Sierra Leone since 2015 assigned to the General Criminal Division and Special Anti-Corruption Division, and subsequently as Justice of the Court of Appeal of Sierra Leone from 2019.
Since the start of 2020, Justice Samba has served as judge at the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone.
She has also served in other positions locally and at international level, including field operations officer at the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Field Office in Uganda from 2006 to 2010, as well as the human rights advisor and researcher, witness management coordinator, investigator and assistant trial attorney at the Special Court for Sierra Leone from 2002 to 2006.
Justice Samba has worked with various human rights bodies ranging from serving as the Chairperson of the Legal Aid Board of Sierra Leone to leading the gender equality advocacy organization in Sierra Leone, and also as lecturer in criminal and contract law at the University of Sierra Leone.
‘‘Throughout the interview, the candidate demonstrated her considerable and clearly relevant experience in working with witnesses and victims at both the national and international level, including in the field, as well as her legal expertise on specific issues, including violence against women and children, the committee noted.
The committee further noted that Justice Samba has demonstrated in-depth knowledge of the Rome Statute system and the jurisprudence of the ICC, including the functions and powers of the Pre-Trial Chamber and the Trial Chamber. She is also known to have experience with drafting judicial decisions.
‘‘The candidate demonstrated a particularly enthusiastic and imaginative approach to the work of the Court based on her considerable experience working in an international and a multicultural environment. In light of the above, the Committee considered that her qualifications, as referred to in the written material submitted, met the requirements under article 36, paragraph 3 (b) (i), of the Rome Statute,’’ the commission stressed.
Justice Samba has also submitted replies to the common questionnaire and a signed standard declaration prepared by the Committee.
The Court, through international criminal justice, aims at holding those responsible accountable for their crimes and to help prevent these crimes from happening again.
Also key to their mandate is the global fight to end impunity committed against humanity in the world’s global stage.
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