PROSECUTOR v ISSA HASSAN SESAY & ORS - ORDER FOR EXPEDITED FILING ( SCSL-04-15-T ) [2008] SCSL 40 (19 May 2008);


SPECIAL COURT FOR SIERRA LEONE
JOMO KENYATTA ROAD • FREETOWN • SIERRA LEONE
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TRIAL CHAMBER I


Before:
Hon. Justice Benjamin Mutanga Itoe, Presiding Judge
Hon. Justice Bankole Thompson
Hon. Justice Pierre Boutet
Registrar:
Herman von Hebel
Date:
19th of May 2008
PROSECUTOR
Against
ISSA HASSAN SESAY
MORRIS KALLON
AUGUSTINE GBAO
(Case No. SCSL-04-15-T)

Public Document


ORDER FOR EXPEDITED FILING


Office of the Prosecutor:
Defence Counsel for Issa Hassan Sesay:
Peter Harrison
Reginald Flynn
Charles Hardaway
Wayne Jordash
Sareta Ashraph
Vincent Wagona
Defence Counsel for Morris Kallon:
Charles Taku
Kennedy Ogeto
Tanoo Mylvaganam


Court Appointed Counsel for Augustine Gbao
John Cammegh
Scott Martin

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 Request for Leave to add Two Documents to its Exhibit List and to Admit them as Evidence, filed publicly with Confidential Annexes, by the Defence for the Third Accused, Augustine Gbao, (“Defence”) on the 16th of May 2008 (“Motion”);

NOTING that the Defence case for the Second Accused shall be completed on or before the 21st of May 2008;

NOTING that the Defence case for the Third Accused will start upon the completion of the Defence case of the Second Accused and will be completed on or before the 24th of June 2008[1] or even shorter, as further reduction in the number of witnesses to be called on behalf of the Third Accused is reported to be undertaken by Court Appointed Counsel for the Third Accused (“Counsel for Gbao”);

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 of Procedure and Evidence of the Special Court;


HEREBY ORDERS as follows:

  1. Any Response to the Motion by the Prosecution shall be filed no later than Wednesday, the 21st of May 2008 at 4:00 p.m.; and
  2. Any Reply by the Defence shall be filed no later than Friday, the 23rd of May 2008 at 4:00 p.m.
Done at Freetown, Sierra Leone, this 19th day of May 2008

Hon. Justice Pierre Boutet
Hon. Justice Benjamin Mutanga Itoe
Hon. Justice Bankole Thompson

Presiding Judge
Trial Chamber I

[Seal of the Special Court]

[1] The Chamber observed the number of Gbao Defence witness is too long and in disharmony with the time frame presented by the Gbao Defence. At the Status Conference held on the 12th of March, 2008, the Gbao Defence requested 4 weeks to be sure they have ample time to present its case. The Chamber ordered the Gbao Defence to complete its case or before the 24th of June 2008. See Transcript of 12th March 2008, p. 25, lines 13-20.