TRIAL CHAMBER I

Public Document

DECISION ON NORMAN MOTION FOR EXTENSION OF TIME

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

SEIZED OF the Deceased Norman’s Defence Team Request for Extended Filing, filed by Court Appointed Counsel for Sam Hinga Norman (“Defence”) on the 15th of March 2007 (“Motion”);
NOTING that the Motion requests an extension of time to file a response to the Registrar’s Submissions Pursuant to Rule 33(B) Relating to the Death of Mr. Sam Hinga Norman that was filed on the 6th of March 2007 until the 30th of March 2007 at 4:00pm;

CONSIDERING that this Chamber’s Order for Extended Filing ordered that responses by the Parties to the Registrar’s Submission “shall be filed no late than Friday, the 16th of March 2007 at 4:00 pm”;

CONSIDERING that the Motion further seeks “that the deceased Norman’s Defence Team be immediately allowed and offered facilities for at least one week’s tour of parts of the South and East of Sierra Leone for appropriate consultations with the Norman Family and the former Civil Defence Forces in preparation for making submissions in respect of the Registrar’s Submission”;

NOTING that the Defence for the Accused Moinina Fofana filed its response on the 13th of March 2007 while the Office of the Prosecutor (“Prosecution”) and the Defence for the Accused Allieu Kondewa filed their respective responses on the 16th of March 2007; ;

MINDFUL OF the rights of the Accused, and in particular of the provisions of Article 17(4)(b) of the Statute of the Special Court for Sierra Leone (“Statute”) on the right “to have adequate time and facilities for the preparation of his or her defence” and of Article 17(4)(c) of the Statute on the right “to be tried without undue delay”;

FINDING that in the present circumstances there exists exceptional circumstances to grant a brief extension of time to prepare the response;

FINDING HOWEVER that there is no cause to grant the subsidiary request that the Defence be allowed facilities for one week’s tour of parts of Sierra Leone as requested;

PURSUANT to Rules 7(C), 7bis, 26bis, 54 and 73 and of the Rules;

HEREBY GRANTS THE MOTION IN PART AND ORDERS:

1. That the Defence shall file its response by no later than Thursday, the 22nd of March 2007 at 4:00pm; and
2. That the remaining remedy sought in the Motion is denied.
   

Done in Freetown, Sierra Leone, this 16th day of March 2007.

[Seal of the Special Court for Sierra Leone]