In the latest World Affairs Journal, Alex de Waal and Julie Flint take aim at ICC prosecutor Moreno Ocampo and open fire:
Moreno Ocampo is a man who diminishes with proximity. Six years after he became Prosecutor, the priceless human capital invested in his office is draining away. Lawyers and investigators who served in the [Office of the Prosecutor (OTP)], and who count among the brightest and the best of their profession, say they believe the Court’s reputation, and perhaps even its life, is at risk. Their desire to make a success of the court remains as strong as ever it was—but not under the current Prosecutor.
“My time in the ICC was a mixture of a fascinating time and a terrible time,†one of these exiles said shortly before Moreno Ocampo demanded Bashir’s arrest. “The Prosecutor was erratic, so irrational sometimes that you felt despair. He uses his charisma in a negative way. Everyone in the OTP felt disrespected. But I still have a dream that one day—along with some other good people—I will be able to return.â€
The full article is worth a read. I wasn’t aware of the mass defections from his office.
Is anyone aware of a defense of Ocampo? de Waal’s investigation seems accurate, but perhaps too one-sided.
Personal defences of Moreno Ocampo are hard to find. El PaÃs included him in its ‘People of 2008′ feature, which you can find here.
It’s written by Baltasar Garzón, the Spanish investigative judge who tried to prosecute Augusto Pinochet. The basic translation is: he’s very well-qualified, has a track record of pursuing justice in difficult cases, and is now the representative of reason in its struggle against barbarity, entrusted with ensuring the ultimate triumph of justice and security. It’s worth remembering that the two are friends.
There are plenty of defences of Moreno Ocampo’s actions, though. Most human rights groups, for example, have been right behind the Bashir arrest warrant. John Dicker of Human Rights Watch debates the issue with Alex de Waal here.
The closest I’ve come to finding a defence of Moreno Ocampo with regard to his conduct as a boss, and some of the allegations made about him is the ILO judgment against him, which at least summarises his defence. His main offence was to not follow due process, it seems. The fact that he got himself involved in some of these problems in the first place may suggest a lack of judgement.
Andrew Cayley, Moreno-Ocampo’s main critic cited in the Flint and de Waal article, is now Charles Taylor’s co-counsel in his defense before the Sierra Leone tribunal.
I haven’t read many defences of the guy, but I have a young lawyer friend who met him a couple of times and loves the guy, wouldn’t admit any faults on his part at all. It seemed to me that it was purely his personal charisma toward her (a good looking young female, in case it matters) that was forming her opinion, rather than the facts. She was wishing she could work for him, but (luckily in my opinion) got hired by a UN agency elsewhere.