The International Criminal Court’s Appeals Chamber has reversed a decision of the Trial Chamber which excused Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto from continuous presence at his trial.
In an unanimous decision on Friday, ICC Appeals Chamber Judge Sang-Hyun Song said the Trial Chamber too broadly interpreted giving Ruto blanketed excusal from continuous attendance of his trial.
“Absence of the accused can only take place in exceptional circumstances and must not become the rule. The Trial Chamber too broadly interpreted and exceeded its limit of its power. It provided Mr Ruto with what amounts to a blanket excusal effectively making his absence the rule and not exception. The Trial Chamber interpreted the scope of its discretion too broadly,” Song said.
ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda appealed the decision made by Trial Chamber V that excused Ruto from continuous presence in court during his trial.
Source: Capital FM
