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Ntaganda accused of witness tampering

ICC

International Criminal Court Prosecutors have accused former DRC rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda of tampering with witnesses.

Ntaganda is on trial at the ICC for allegedly using child soldiers, keeping sex slaves and murder in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 2002 and 2003.

ICC Chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in the filing that a probe of Ntaganda’s phone conversations while in custody revealed his involvement “in a broad scheme to pervert the course of justice, including by coaching potential defence witnesses, obstructing prosecution investigations and interfering with prosecution witnesses”.

The Chief prosecutor requested “appropriate measures’‘ be taken ‘‘to safeguard the integrity” of the trial.

The accused and his lawyers have not reacted to the allegation.

Ntaganda went on hunger strike in September to protest restrictions on his phone calls and visitation rights.

The news comes weeks after the ICC found former DRC vice president Jean Pierre Bemba guilty of the same charge.

Reuters