PROSECUTOR v ISSA HASSAN SESAY & ORS - ORDER FOR FILING PRE-TRIAL BRIEFS (UNDER RULES 54 AND 73 BIS) - Case No. SCSL-04-15-PT [2004] SCSL 34 (13 February 2004)

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SPECIAL COURT FOR SIERRA LEONE
JOMO KENYATTA ROAD • FREETOWN • SIERRA LEONE
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Before:	Judge Bankole Thompson, Presiding Judge Judge Benjamin Mutanga Itoe Judge Pierre Boutet
Registrar:	Robin Vincent
Date:	13 February 2004
PROSECUTOR	Against	Issa Hassan Sesay Morris Kallon Augustine Gbao (Case No.SCSL-04-15-PT)

Office of the Prosecutor:		Defence Counsel for Issa Hassan Sesay:
Luc Côté		Timothy Clayson Defence Counsel for Morris Kallon:
		James Oury
		Defence Counsel for Augustine Gbao: Andreas O’Shea

THE TRIAL CHAMBER (“Trial Chamber”) of the Special Court for Sierra Leone (“Special Court”) composed of Judge Bankole Thompson, Presiding Judge, Judge Benjamin Mutanga Itoe and Judge Pierre Boutet;

RECALLING the Trial Chamber’s decision of 27 January 2004, in which it ordered that the accused Issa Sesay, Morris Kallon and Augustine Gbao (singularly or collectively, “Accused”) be tried jointly;

NOTING Rule 73 bis of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence of the Special Court (“Rules”), which provides for the filing of a pre-trial brief by the Office of the Prosecutor (“Prosecution”) addressing the factual and legal issues in the case at a time after the Pre-Trial Conference has been held, and further provides for the filing of a pre-trial brief by the Defence addressing the factual and legal issues not later than seven days prior to the date set for trial;

NOTING the “Practice Direction on Filing Documents before the Special Court for Sierra Leone,” issued by the Registrar on 27 February 2003, and specifically Article 9 thereof,

CONSIDERING THAT the right of the Accused to a fair and expeditious trial will be advanced by the filing of the pre-trial briefs at an earlier stage in the pre-trial process than after the Pre-Trial Conference;

HEREBY ORDERS that the Prosecution pre-trial brief in this case shall be filed on or before 27 February 2004;

And FURTHER ORDERS that the each Defence team shall file its pre-trial brief by 19 March 2004.

Done at Freetown this 13th day of February 2004
Judge Bankole Thompson	Judge Benjamin Mutanga Itoe	Judge Pierre Boutet
Presiding Judge, Trial Chamber
[Seal of the Special Court for Sierra Leone]