ICC elects Nigerian judge as new president

The judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) have elected Nigerian judge, Chile Eboe-Osuji, as its new president during a plenary session on Sunday, March 11, 2018.

Czech judge, Robert Fremr and French judge, Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, were also elected as First Vice-President and Second Vice-President respectively.

In reaction to the new position, Judge Eboe-Osuji expressed his delight at the honour to serve as president and promised to strengthen and reinforce the Rome Statute system.

He said, "I am deeply honoured to have been elected by my peers as President of the International Criminal Court. As I take up my duties, I feel encouraged that I am able to rely on the wide experience of the two Vice-Presidents, Judge Robert Fremr and Judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, both of whom I have closely worked with previously.

"I look forward to working together with them as well as with all the judges, all the Officials and the staff of the Court in a spirit of collegiality. I also look forward to collaborating with the Assembly of States Parties, civil society and the international community at large, acting together to strengthen and reinforce the Rome Statute system, the 20th anniversary of the adoption of which we celebrate this year

"I am also grateful to the previous President, Judge Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, and Vice-Presidents, Judges Joyce Aluoch and Kuniko Ozaki, for their work and leadership."

Judge Eboe-Osuji takes over as President of the Court for a three-year term which takes place with immediate effect.

Eboe-Osuji's path to ICC

The Imo state native graduated with a Law Degree from the University of Calabar in 1985 before obtaining a master of laws degree from McGill University, Canada and doctor of laws degree from the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

He was elected as a judge of the International Criminal Court after winning the fifteenth ballot in the Assembly of States Parties in December 2011, and took office in March 2012.

Before this, he had worked at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda as prosecution counsel and senior legal officer to the judges of the tribunal between 1997 and 2005 after practicing in Nigeria and Canada.