Concord Times (Freetown)
Olusegun Ogundeji
7 August 2008
Prosecutor Stephen Rapp has announced the appointment of Sierra Leonean lawyer Joseph F Kamara as deputy prosecutor of the UN backed Special Court for Sierra Leone.
Kamara is the first Sierra Leonean to occupy the post. He succeeds Dr. Christopher Staker who has held the position since July 2005.
A senior trial attorney in the office of the prosecutor, Kamara joined the Special Court in 2004.
Most recently he led the prosecution team in the successful prosecution of two former leaders of the country's Civil Defence Forces (CDF) militia.
"Mr. Kamara is an individual of outstanding legal ability and integrity," said Mr. Rapp.
"I look forward to working with him as my deputy prosecutor to complete the mission of achieving justice for the grave and massive crimes committed against the innocent people of this country." The new prosecutor said he was looking forward to the challenge.
"This is a significant milestone in the history of the Court," he said and added: "I promise to work to promote the protection of fundamental human rights and to bring the workings of the Special Court closer to the people of Sierra Leone." Under the Special Court Statute the deputy prosecutor is appointed by the government of Sierra Leone in consultation with the secretary general of the United Nations and the prosecutor. His appointment has been approved and would take affect on 15 August 2008.
"This appointment reflects the close partnership between the government and the international community that has become one of the hallmarks of this institution," said Rapp.
He also recognized the significant contribution of Dr. Staker to the work of the Prosecution.
"Dr. Staker has provided tremendous service during his tenure as Deputy Prosecutor. His expertise has proved invaluable, not only in leading the appeals proceedings but also on a wide array of legal issues that have arisen during the trials." Before joining the Special Court lawyer Kamara served for eight years as a prosecutor in the office of the director of public prosecution of Sierra Leone, where he rose to the rank of senior state counsel.
He later worked in private practice, both domestically and for several firms in Washington, DC.
Kamara is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. He also holds a Masters in Law from Southern Methodist University in the United States.
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