TRIAL CHAMBER I

Public Document

ORDER FOR EXPEDITED FILING

TRIAL CHAMBER I (“Trial Chamber I”) of the Special Court for Sierra Leone (“Special Court”) composed of Hon. Justice Benjamin Mutanga Itoe, Presiding Judge, Hon. Justice Bankole Thompson and Hon. Justice Pierre Boutet;

HAVING RECEIVED the Motion for Voluntary Withdrawal or Disqualification of Justice Bankole Thompson from the RUF Case, filed jointly by Defence Counsel for the First Accused, Issa Hassan Sesay, and Court Appointed Counsel for the Third Accused, Augustine Gbao (“Defence”) on the 14th of November 2007 (“Motion”);

NOTING that pending a Decision on this Motion, Hon. Justice Benjamin Mutanga Itoe and Hon. Justice Pierre Boutet will be sitting in the absence of Hon. Justice Bankole Thompson, pursuant to Rule 16(A) of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence of the Special Court (“Rules”);

CONSIDERING that Article 17(4)(c) of the Statute of the Special Court provides that the Accused shall be entitled “to be tried without undue delay”;

CONSIDERING that the fair and expeditious consideration of the Motion requires the imposition of an expedited timetable for the filing of a response and a reply;

PURSUANT TO Rules 7 and 54 of the Rules;

HEREBY ORDERS as follows:

1. Any Response to the Motion by the Prosecution shall be filed no later than Tuesday, the 20th of November 2007 at 4:00 p.m.; and
2. Any Reply by the Defence shall be filed no later than Friday, the 23rd of November 2007 at 4:00 p.m.