Confirmation of charges hearing postponed in the case against Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui

Situation: Democratic Republic of Congo
Case: The Prosecutor vs. Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui  

Pre-Trial Chamber I has decided to postpone the commencement date of the confirmation hearing in the case The Prosecutor v. Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui to 27 June 2008, previously scheduled to commence on 21 May.

The judges considered the request of the Defence for Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui to postpone the date of this hearing, and decided to allow the parties sufficient time to properly prepare. There are also various issues pending before the Appeals Chamber.

The confirmation hearing is one stage of the criminal procedure before the Court which aims at ensuring that no case goes to trial unless there is sufficient evidence to establish substantial grounds to believe that the person committed the crime with which he or she has been charged.

Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui are both being prosecuted for their alleged co-responsibility for the crimes allegedly committed during and in the aftermath of the joint attack on the village of Bogoro, Ituri, by the Patriotic Resistance Force in Ituri (FRPI) and the National Integrationist Front (FNI), on 24 February 2003.