ICC - Office of the Prosecutor

Office of the Prosecutor


Fatou Bensouda, Prosecutor	James Stewart , Deputy Prosecutor	Phakiso Mochochoko, Head of the Jurisdiction, Complementarity and Cooperation Division	Michel de Smedt, Head of Investigations

The Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) is one of the four organs of the Court and is headed by Fatou Bensouda, the Prosecutor, who took office on 15 June 2012, replacing the Court’s first Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo. Mrs Bensouda was elected by the Assemply of States Parties for a term of nine years. The OTP is composed of three Divisions. The Deputy Prosecutor, James Stewart, is in charge of Prosecutions Division; Michel de Smedt is the Head of Investigations Division; Phakiso Mochochoko is the Head of the Jurisdiction, Complementarity and Cooperation Division.

The Office Investigates and Prosecutes genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by nationals of a State Party or on the territory of a State Party on or after 1 July 2002, the date of entry into force of the Rome Statute.

The OTP is currently investigating eight situations:

The OTP is currently conducting preliminary examinations analysing alleged crimes committed on the territories of Honduras, Afghanistan, Korea and Comoros; and assessing if there are genuine national proceedings being carried out in Georgia, Guinea, Colombia, and Nigeria.

The OTP, in partnership with the Sanela Diana Jenkins Human Rights Project at UCLASchool of Law, has launched the Human Rights & International Criminal Law Online Forum, promoting open discussion on complex issues of international criminal law faced by the OTP. Please visit the Forum at: UCLALawForum.com

For the work of the Office of the Prosecutor at a glance, please go to: frequently asked questions.