ICC extends William Ruto trial by seven days

 

PHOTO | BILLU MUTAI The The International Criminal Court building at The Hague.  NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary
The first session of Mr Ruto’s trial was initially set to end on Friday, November 1
It means that Mr Ruto, who is expected back in The Hague on Thursday, will have to be around until November 8, when the sessions end
 By Nation Reporter
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The ICC has extended the trials of Deputy President William Ruto and Joshua arap Sang by a week.

According to the new calendar, proceedings in the Ruto and Sang case will go on until November 8 to allow prosecution witness 423, who has been lined up after the present witness 268, to testify.

The first session of Mr Ruto’s trial was initially set to end on Friday, November 1.

However, during last Monday’s and yesterday’s proceedings, the prosecution requested the court to adjust its calendar to accommodate witness 423 who is already in The Hague.

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“We wanted to draw your attention to the announcement made by the Presiding Judge of Trial Chamber V(a) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) that the trial hearings... will proceed until 8 November 2013 (and not until 1 November 2013 as previously scheduled,” the court said in a statement.

It means that Mr Ruto, who is expected back in The Hague on Thursday, will have to be around until November 8, when the sessions end.

So far, five prosecution witnesses have concluded their testimonies, including two women while the sixth is currently on the stand.
The prosecution had lined up 10 witnesses but will now have brought seven witnesses.

The new calendar means that the court will only have four days to prepare for the start of the trial against President Kenyatta on November 12.