An Argentinian lawyer who helped bring the leaders of his country's former military dictatorship to justice has been chosen as the first prosecutor of the United Nations International Criminal Court, the ICC said on Tuesday.
"Signatory states to the Rome Treaty on the ICC have informally agreed and reached a consensus to elect Luis Moreno Ocampo, of Argentine nationality, to the position of court prosecutor," the ICC said in a press release. The appointment of Ocampo had been widely expected.
Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein, president of the signatories of the Rome Treaty (1998) which set up the court, added that the choice was made "after months of consultation between governments on a certain number of quality candidates".
"Signatory states are confident that the new court will benefit for years to come from a talented prosecutor with tested abilities," Prince Zeid was quoted as saying in the release.
Mr Ocampo helped to prosecute his own country's former military rulers in the 1980s and is currently in private practice in Buenos Aires, as well as being a visiting law professor at Harvard University in the United States.
AFP