The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A poor internet could put paid to Ugandan efforts to have Justice Suzan Okalany get one of the top prosecution jobs in the world.
Unstable internet connectivity disrupted Justice Okalany’s interview for the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor’s job on Thursday.
Okalany is competing for the job with three others; Morris A. Anyah from Nigeria who is a trial attorney in Chicago, U.S.A, Fergal Gaynor from Ireland, who currently serves as the Reserve International Co-Prosecutor at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia and Richard Roy from Canada who is currently Senior General Counsel with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada.
During the two days of the interviews which started on Wednesday, Okalany kept requesting the interviewer Jens-Otto Horslund to repeat the question once more. The connection was worse on Thursday when on three occasions, her connection went off during her turn to speak and she had to log in again to rejoin the team.
She was for instance disconnected at a time when the interviewer asked candidates questions from the Civil society on how they would handle the pressure that came through budget and non-cooperation. Before she could respond, Okalany’s internet connection started to buffer for about 20 minutes and it kept going bad for another 40 minutes.
For an interview that lasted up to five hours from 4 pm, Okalany kept coming on and off leaving her at the mercy of the interviewer who allowed her to answer the questions that were already answered by her colleagues. None of the other candidates had an issue with internet connections.
In her earlier presentation, answering to what she would do to enhance the prosecution and investigation capabilities at the Office of the Prosecutor, Okalany said that she would prioritize the training of prosecutors and investigators and that she would have senior prosecutors with vast legal knowledge of the case take lead and be involved in all levels of the case.
She also gave her answers ably when answering on the role of victims on the prosecution, and how they would help victims to have a right in the ICC proceedings. Okalany says among other things she will ensure that the victims are not only spectators but key players in the case.
The candidates were also asked to comment about how they would deal with the toxic environment around the office of the Prosecutor, and Okalany said she would ensure sanctions, improve communication and create regional liaisons as a means to ensure the prosecutor’s visibility.
Okalany is the only female candidate shortlisted for the job and comes from a region whose members threatened to quit the ICC over what they called biased litigation. She also has vast experience in Prosecution of international crimes.
However, bearing the fact that the Incumbent Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda is a Gambian, many think for regional and international balance the Prosecutor could emerge from another part of the continent.
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