March 11, 2010 - Daily Star - Tribunal for Lebanon courtroom to host its first trial in May

Case of former Liberian leader to move to newly constructed facility
By Michael Bluhm

BEIRUT: The UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon will host its first trial in May – but the proceedings will have nothing to do with Lebanon.


The trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, who is being prosecuted for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the conflict in Sierra Leone, will move into the tribunal’s newly constructed courtroom in early May, acting registrar Herman von Hebel told The Daily Star on Wednesday.


Von Hebel’s comments also signaled that the tribunal is not counting on any trials this year concerning Lebanon, with the Taylor case slated to occupy the tribunal courtroom for three to six months and plans for the 2011 tribunal budget – unlike this year’s budget – to include sums to cover court proceedings.


Taylor’s trial will move to the tribunal headquarters near The Hague because of high demand for courtrooms at the nearby International Criminal Court, which is hosting the Taylor proceedings because of security worries at the Special Court for Sierra Leone in Freetown, said von Hebel, who also served three years as the registrar in Freetown. Construction of the tribunal’s courtroom should finish in mid-April, von Hebel added.


Next year’s budget should rise from the $55.4 million allotted for this year because of projections for potential trials, von Hebel said. The tribunal was created by the UN Security Council to try suspects in the February 14, 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and in other political violence from 2004-08.


The registrar, who acts as the tribunal’s chief executive, listed raising money for next year’s budget as his top priority. As for this year’s funding, the tribunal has collected about half of the $55.4-million budget, with pledges for the remainder given by “reliable” donors, von Hebel said. “The tribunal is in good shape for this year,” he added. Based on the assumption that trials would commence in 2010, former registrar Robin Vincent had mentioned a possible $65-million budget for 2010 in previous interviews, but his estimate was “a bit too optimistic,” von Hebel said.



In other tribunal news, the court should announce in a matter of weeks the hiring of a new chief of investigation, said Radhia Achouri, spokeswoman for tribunal prosecutor Daniel Bellemare. The departure of former chief of investigation Nick Khaldas, an Egyptian-born police chief from Australia, was soon followed by the exit of former registrar David Tolbert, with their leaving sparking much public debate about the progress and working relationships at the tribunal.


Von Hebel, who also spent five years at the International Court for the Former Yugoslavia, said he had “positive” relations with Bellemare and Tribunal President Antonio Cassese, and the departures of top personnel were common at all international courts. Von Hebel said the staff at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon brought a wealth of experience from pervious tribunals. “I’m extremely impressed with the quality of people here,” he added.


The UN has not yet posted a notice calling for candidates to replace Tolbert as the tribunal’s registrar, meaning some six months could elapse before UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appoints a new registrar, von Hebel said. “The process hasn’t even started,” von Hebel said, adding that he would likely apply for the post.


Aside from financial aspects, von Hebel said he would focus on public outreach and witness protection, as well as giving assistance to the prosecutor’s office. The tribunal has the support of a number of countries regarding witness protection, but von Hebel could not specify the nations involved, he said.