The International Criminal Court has denied claims that it is being funded by the US in its quest to impose its influence on African states.

The court noted that contrary to the allegation, the US government has never financed the operation of the court since US is not a member of the Rome Statute. In a statement delivered exclusively to the Star by the spokesman of the ICC Fadi El Abdallah, the court clarified that its operations were being financed by member states.

El Abdallah said Japan, which is a member to the Rome Statute, is currently the biggest financier of the court's operations as per the 2012 budget. Japan is estimated to have contributed £20 million (Sh2 billion) for its operations. The clarification by the court follows concerns from a cross-section of states in the continent that the court was being used by the United States to influence politics and push its agendas in Africa.

The court assured families of the accused persons that their upkeep will be catered for by the court in the event of a successful conviction resulting to the freezing of their assets. "In the matter of the of resources needed for sustainability of the family, judges can order that a certain amount of money be provided to the family on a regular basis taken from the assets of the accused," a letter by El Abdallah read in part.

The court also observed as opposed to the allegation that the court was targeting African states. The continent had highest number of countries as members to the Rome statue than any other continent in the world. El Abdallah said it is as a result of these, that the court is examining various situation in the continent and not in other countries which are not member to the Rome statue.