January 13, 2010 - Daily Star - Tribunal registrar quits to lead rights groupE

BEIRUT: The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) announced on Tuesday that the court’s registrar David Tolbert is resigning from the Tribunal to become president of the International Center for Transitional Justice, a leading global human rights organization based in New York. “I am proud of the excellent progress we have achieved in putting the STL on a firm footing and remain personally committed to its mission.
“I have the highest respect for the president, prosecutor and head of defense as well as my other STL colleagues and look forward to supporting their important work in the future. At the same time, my new position will allow me to pursue my career in my home country, after spending many years abroad,” said Tolbert, whose resignation takes effect March 1 of this year.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon congratulated Tolbert on his new appointment as president of the International Center for Transitional Justice and said he was deeply grateful to him for the services rendered to the organization.
During Tolbert’s tenure, the STL registry has developed into a strong and fully functioning administrative organ which is ready to support the judicial activities of the STL effectively and competently. The Tribunal’s budget for 2010 has been adopted and the funds largely raised, the construction works on the courtroom will be completed by the time of the Registrar’s departure, and the infrastructure to support judicial activities is in place, including such vital matters as witness protection mechanisms and the court management system.
The STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare said Tolbert brought with him a wealth of experience and expertise in all legal fields, especially those of relevance to Tribunals’ work.
“I deeply regret his departure and I will miss him as a colleague and as a friend. I am confident that in his new position as head of one of the most prominent international NGOs specializing in the field of justice, the international community will continue to benefit from his commitment and dedication to the promotion of the rule of law around the world,” Bellemare said.
In other STL-related news, the court issued a statement saying the resignation of Judge Ralph Riachy from the Lebanese judiciary does not affect in any way his appointment and functions as a judge of the STL.
According to Article 9 Paragraph 1 of the STL statute, STL judges must fulfill the following conditions: be persons of “high moral character, impartiality and integrity,” have “extensive judicial experience” and be “independent in the performance of their functions.”
The provisions of the agreement between the United Nations and Lebanon and the statute do not require that an STL judge (international or Lebanese) be currently sitting as a judge in a national judicial system, the court statement said. – The Daily Star