Khmer Rouge Tribunal Appoints Acting International Co-Prosecutor

Written by DAP NEWS
Tuesday, 01 September 2009

An acting international co-prosecutor was appointed by the Khmer Rouge Tribunal (KRT) on August 29, replacing Robert Petit who resigned and returned to Canada, according to a KRT statement on Monday.

The new acting international co-prosecutor is William Smith, an Australian.

The statement said that on August 29, “the Supreme Court Council of Magistracy of Cambodia, upon the nomination of the Secretary-General of the UN, appointed, as an interim measure, William Smith (Australia) as the Acting International Co-Pros- ecutor at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia [ECCC].”

“His appointment shall be effective September 1, 2009 and this appointment has been made pending the decision on the permanent replacement for the current International Co-Prosecutor, Robert Petit, whose resignation takes effect on the same date,” the statement added. Two nominations for a permanent replacement have been forwarded by the secretary-general to the Cambodian Government for a decision by the Supreme Magistracy Council.

The statement summaries Smith’s background as having been the internal deputy co-prosecutor for the ECCC for the last 3 years. Between 1995 and 2006, Smith also worked as a trial attorney, legal officer and analyst at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) at The Hague. Prior to that, Mr. Smith practiced criminal law in South Australia as a defense barrister and solicitor, as well as a prosecutor for the South Australian Police Department. Smith was educated at the University of Adelaide where he received a degree in law and arts. He also obtained a master in international law from Leiden University in the Netherlands.

ECCC Chief of Public Affairs Reach Sambath on Monday told DAP News Cambodia that Smith is very qualified for a post of the acting international co-prosecutor.