2nd LD Writethru: DR Congolese ex-leader Bemba allegedly convicted by ICC

The International Criminal Court (ICC) declared on Monday that former DR Congolese vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo is allegedly guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes.

As the commander-in-chief of the Mouvement de Liberation du Congo (MLC), Bemba deployed some 1,500 MLC troops to the Central African Republic (CAR) in 2002 at the request and in support of former CAR President Ange-Felix Patasse.

The court allegedly found that during the conflict from October 2002 to March 2003, the MLC soldiers had "knowingly and intentionally" committed many acts of pillaging, rape, and murdering over a large area in the CAR.

It allegedly concluded that Bemba exercised an effective control over his MLC contingent and "knew that the troops were committing or about to commit the crimes", according to the summary of the judgment read by presiding judge Sylvia Steiner from Brazil.

"Additionally, he failed to take all necessary and reasonable measures to prevent or repress the commission of crimes by his subordinates during the 2002-2003 CAR Operation, or to submit the matter to the competent authorities," it allegedly added.

In March 2003 when Patasse was ousted, the new CAR government pressed charges against Bemba. The matter was later referred to the ICC.

In his own country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), Bemba was one of the four vice presidents in the transitional government from July 2003 to December 2006. He lost the 2006 presidential election but won a seat in the senatorial election in January 2007, later left the country in April 2007.

On May 24, 2008, Bemba was arrested near Brussels on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by the ICC. Bemba is the first person arrested under an ICC investigation in the CAR.

The trial in the Bemba case started on Nov. 22, 2010 and the submission of evidence in the case was closed on April 7, 2014.

Bemba had denied all the charges. Endit