By NNN-KUNA
United Nations : Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Robin Vincent of Britain as the Registrar of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon to prosecute the suspects in the assassination of Lebanese former premier Rafik Hariri and others, it was announced here.
Vincent will commence his duties on a date to be determined, Ban’s office said in a statement late Monday.
From 2002 to 2005, Vincent served as Registrar of the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Since then, his work has included serving temporarily as Deputy Registrar of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and advising on the establishment of other international tribunals, including the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
“The appointment of the Registrar reflects the steady progress being accomplished in establishing the Special Tribunal for Lebanon,” the statement noted.
A prosecutor, Daniel Bellemare of Canada, has also been appointed by Ban. He is currently the Commissioner of the UN International Independent Investigation Commission (IIIC).
Ban has also appointed 11 judges.
As to funding, the UN has USD 29.4 million in hand and USD 21.3 million in pledges. That amounts to more than what’s needed for the first year and the start up of the tribunal in The Hague.
A management committee consisting of France, Germany, Lebanon, Netherlands, Britain, and the US, with the UN Secretariat participating ex-officio, has been constituted.