Special Court for Sierra Leone,CDF Trial, Update 55

CDF Trial

Special Court for Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone

English

Following the conclusion of the prosecution’s case in July 2005, counsel for the three CDF accused each filed a Motion for Judgment of Acquittal under Rule 98, arguing that the prosecution failed to present evidence which, if believed, could support a conviction against the accused. Based on the written and oral submissions of the parties, the Judges have the option of upholding the charges and continuing with the trial on the charges as they stand, or dismissing specific allegations, dismissing individual counts, or even dismissing the entire indictment.

The hearing for comments and arguments on the CDF Motions for Judgment of Acquittal was originally scheduled for Friday, 16 September 2005. But for undisclosed reasons and with only three days notice, the Trial Chamber postponed the hearing until Tuesday, 20 September 2005. This last minute schedule change caused some complications for international counsel, who had flown to Freetown specifically for this half-day long hearing on Friday the 16th.