Judges at the Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court – ICC in The Hague have withdrawn the arrest warrant against Vincent Otti, the Second-in-Command of the Lord’s Resistance Army – LRA rebels, who is now assumed dead.
The Chamber found that the only reasonable conclusion is that Otti is no longer alive.
The Chamber recalled that the Court cannot exercise jurisdiction over a deceased person.
The ICC indicated that further investigative steps are unlikely to result in any additional proof of Otti’s death.
The prosecution appended two witness statements and explained that the only eye witness to Otti’s killing must also be assumed dead.
The death of the Ugandan suspect therefore required to terminate the proceedings against Otti, further to which all relevant documents, including any warrants of arrest, are rendered without effect.
“For these reasons, the Chamber hereby terminates the proceedings against Vincent Otti, instructs the Registrar to inform all States which were notified by of the Warrant of Arrest that it is no longer in effect and to withdraw the requests for arrest and surrender,” the notice further read.
