Special Court for Sierra Leone, CDF Trial, Update 64

CDF Trial

Special Court for Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone

English

The bench convened this second status conference less than one month after the first one, citing the lack of “any meaningful progress” in the defense case and the defense teams’ “major noncompliance” with the Trial Chamber’s directions. This bumpy start to the defense case can be partially attributed to a lack of precision in the Trial Chamber’s management order, as well as an overall lack of coordination and preparation on the part of the defense teams. Moreover, this second status conference served to highlight tensions between the Defense Office and the defense teams which could undermine efforts at a cohesive defense strategy. At the end of this second status conference, the bench affirmed its intentions to proceed as scheduled in January, but expressed some concerns as to whether the defense teams themselves would be ready.