By Tunde Oguntola, Abuja |
The African Bar Association (AFBA) has raised the alarm over negative comments credited to some Africans, particularly in Nigeria which was widely circulated in the local and international media concerning the nominations of some notable African Judges for election into the Bench as judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
A statement signed by the director, Press Office, AFBA, Heredia Siki and made available to LEADERSHIP Weekend yesterday in Abuja, said the association is disturbed about the misinterpretation of the report of the ICC Advisory Committee on the nomination of the Judges which saw notable African Judges highly qualified for the election stage including Ishaq Bello of Nigeria, Raymond Sock of Gambia, Aisse Tall of Senegal, Proper Milanelou of Congo and Mario Samba of Sierra Leone.
AFBA Backs Justice Bello, Others For ICC Bench
The association said over the years, Africa has been the central theatre of the activities of the court and this has made it necessary for the AFBA which has a working partnership with the International Criminal Court Bar Association (ICCBA) to pay the desired attention to the process leading to the elections of judges into the Court.
The statement reads in part: ‘’While Maria Samba was adjudged very qualified, the other African candidates were adjudged formally qualified.
‘’The misinterpretation of the nomenclature are very qualified and formally qualified is unnecessary as all Candidates are going to pass through an election where all members of the assembly of state parties will cast their votes for any of these candidates and those of other countries depending on their strategic choice based on some underlying factors.’’
The statement further said that Justice Bello is one of the most productive and respected judges in Nigeria was adjudged formally qualified so was Justice Raymond Sock of Gambia is a Judge of the Gambian Supreme Court and former Acting Chief Justice of the Gambia.
‘’These Candidates have met the formal requirements to become judges of the ICC and that is what is important and therefore they deserve our support not negative comments laced with political undertones.
‘’Nomination of Judges into the ICC are based on expressed interest which are made to state parties by the judge concerned for formal endorsement and nomination and is not based on religion, political or sectional interests.
‘’Finally, it should be noted that there are candidates from Europe, Asia, and North America who have also been adjudged “formally qualified” who will also compete at the election in December 2020. What African judges least deserves now are not negative comments coming from Africans as these comments are capable of undermining African interest,’’ the statement added.
