President Uhuru Kenyatta (c) EPA

On 31 March 2014, the Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) adjourned the trial of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta until 7 October 2014.

The purpose of the adjournment is to give the Government of Kenya an opportunity to comply with a cooperation request by the Prosecution to hand over financial and other documents related to President Kenyatta. The records are allegedly relevant to proving that President Kenyatta financed the crimes with which he is charged.

The Prosecution had initially requested these documents from the Kenyan Government in April 2012 without success. The Government argued that the Prosecutor has no authority to make such a request, under either the Statute and the Rules of the Court or Kenyan domestic law.

In

its decision, the Trial Chamber confirmed that the Prosecutor does have an independent authority to make such a cooperation request under Article 93(1) of the Rome Statute. It deferred consideration of the Prosecution request for a finding of non-compliance by the Kenyan Government until after the expiration of the adjournment period.

President Kenyatta is charged with crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the post-electoral violence in Kenya in 2007-2008.