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Bribery Scandal: Court Sentences Ex-Congo VP Bemba

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By Ganiyat Ganiyu

Congo, (An24) – Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former Vice President of Congo was on Wednesday, March 22, sentenced to one year imprisonment for bribing witnesses in his main trial by a war crimes judges.

The erstwhile vice president was also ordered to pay a 300,000 euro fine.

“The chamber imposes on you an additional 12 months, one-year imprisonment,” presiding judge Bertram Schmitt told Bemba.

He added it must be served consecutively to an 18-year-term Bemba is already serving after being convicted of commanding war crimes by his marauding troops in the Central African Republic in 2002 to 2003.

They also asked judges to sentence Bemba’s lawyer Aime Kilolo to eight years, his legal case manager Jean-Jacques Mangenda to seven, Narcisse Arido, a defence witness, to five years and Congolese lawmaker Fidele Babala to three.

The feared former rebel leader and his four associates were found guilty in October of bribing witnesses in what judges at the world war crimes court described as “clear and downright criminal behaviour”.

The bribery verdict was the first of its kind in the ICC’s history, and the charges were brought after a tip-off to the prosecutor’s office.

Handing down their verdict, the judges said Bemba had tried to skew his main trial and had “planned, authorised, and approved the illicit coaching” of the witnesses.

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