Raila dismisses AU leaders’ stand on ICC

Raila Odinga

He termed the sentiments of the African Heads of State hypocritical, insisting that the leaders ‘took themselves’ to The Hague.

“The AU is independent and have a right to lobby the United Nations Security Council to refer whatever case they want. But to say that the ICC is targeting Africa is hogwash,” Raila said yesterday.

The former PM recalled how Kenyans bungled the opportunity to establish a local tribunal to try perpetrators of the 2007/2008 post-election violence and preferred to be tried at The Hague-based court.

“So we took ourselves to the ICC. Mr Ocampo himself had said he doesn’t want to come Kenya,” he noted adding African leaders in the past have taken their colleagues to The Hague.