By Kemo Cham
Justice Richard Brunt Lussick of Samoa has been elected President of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone (RSCSL).
Justice Lussick was named to the rotating position at the end of the Plenary of Judges meeting in Freetown on Thursday, February 27, 2024.
The RSCSL is the successor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL), an international tribunal set up after the country’s eleven years (1991-2002) civil war to try those held responsible for the greatest crimes.
The RSCSL is responsible for the ongoing legal obligations of the SCSL, which concluded its mandate in December 2013. These include supervision of prison sentences, witness protection and support, maintenance and preservation of the archives, and to provide assistance to national prosecution authorities.
A roster of 16 judges preside over the court, headed by a president that serves for two terms.
Six of the judges are appointed by the Sierra Leone government and the other 10 by the United Nations.
Justice Lussick succeeds Justice Pierre Boutet of Canada as President.
Other judges elected to positions in the panel include Justice Isaack Lenaola of Kenya, who came in as vice president, succeeding Sierra Leonean Justice Emmanuel Ekundayo Roberts.
Another Sierra Leonean judge, Alusine Sesay, was elected Staff Appeal Judge. He succeeded his compatriot, Justice Desmond Babatunde Edwards, the former Chief Justice of Sierra Leone.
The Plenary of Judges meeting took place for two days, during which the judges were briefed by the Registrar, the Prosecutor and the Principal Defender on judicial and administrative matters relating to the RSCSL, according to a press statement issued by the Court.
It adds that they also considered amendments to the Rules of Procedure and Evidence of the Court.
