Credit: Wikipedia Commons /    Côte d’Ivoire President  Alassane Dramane Ouattara 

By Gary  Raynaldo    /   DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

The government of Côte d’Ivoire has filed an injunction at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague that attempts to block former president Laurent Gbagbo’s acquittal in January of all alleged war crime charges against him.  The move by the Côte d’Ivoire’s government of President Alassane Dramane Ouattara follows a similar move last month by the chief prosecutor of the ICC  Fatou Bensouda to appeal the war crime tribunal’s acquittal of Gbagbo.  In January 2019, the ICC cleared Gbagbo of war crimes charges and he was released from The Hague-based detention centre.   Gbagbo, 74, who spent 7 years in ICC custody,  was  the first head of state to stand trial at The Hague Netherlands war tribunal. The ICC also acquitted Gbagbo’s right-hand man Charles Blé Goudé  from all war crime charges.  ICC judges ruled that prosecutors had failed to prove any case against Gbagbo and co-defendant Blé Goudé  and that their continued detention could no longer be justified.  Now comes prosecutor Bensouda who seems determined to see Gbagbo returned to ICC custody with her appeal. The ICC prosecutor also appealed Blé Goudé’s accquital.  And following behind Bensouda comes President Ouattara, who according to opinions by observers, is attempting to prevent Gbagbo, who is seen as a fierce political rival, from running in the upcoming 2020 elections in Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast).

Credit: : ©ICC-CPI/  ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda

“The appeal will demonstrate that the Trial Chamber committed legal and procedural errors which led to the  the acquittals of Mr. Gbagbo and Mr. Blé Goudé’ on all counts.”

-ICC Prosecutor Bensouda’s office wrote in her September  Appeal.

Gbagbo and Blé Goudé Were Accused of Four counts of Crimes Against Humanity

Credit: ©ICC-CPI  /  Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé at their acquittal hearing held on 15 January 2019 before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands

“Judges take their decisions on the basis of the evidence and observations presented to them by the parties and participants in accordance with the applicable rules. As the defence’s request in relation to the conditional release of amr Gbagbo is pending before the Judges, we can’t speculate on their decision.”

-Fadi El Abdallah,  ICC Spokesperson said  Oct. 31, 2019

Gbagbo Has Been Living In Belgium Since Release From the ICC 

Belgium agreed to host Gbagbo after he was released in February 2019 under conditions including that he would return to court for any prosecution appeal against his acquittal.