The Prosecutor of the ICTR, Hassan Bubacar Jallow, has appointed Loretta Lynch, a partner in the New York law firm of Hogan & Hartson, L.L.P., as Special Counsel to the Prosecutor, to conduct investigations that the Appeals Chamber has directed the Prosecutor to carry out. On Sunday, 10 July 2005, the Special Counsel arrived in Arusha with her Assistant, Vincent Cohen, Jr., who is a member of the Washington, D.C., office of Hogan & Hartson, to begin her work on site.

The Appeals Chamber directed the Prosecutor, on 19 May 2005, to investigate allegations of interference with a witness and possible false testimony under solemn declaration, as the result of evidence it received during the course of a hearing under Rule 115, which deals with the admission of additional evidence on an appeal, in connection with the Kamuhanda appeal. Ms. Lynch will report to the Prosecutor on the advisability of charges being brought for contempt of court or false testimony, or other offences relating to the due administration of justice.

Ms. Lynch is a member of her law firm’s Litigation Group, focusing on commercial litigation, white collar criminal defence, and corporate compliance issues. Before joining Hogan & Hartson, Ms. Lynch was the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, where she oversaw an office of more than 150 attorneys, who represented the US government in civil and criminal matters. As a prosecuting attorney, Ms. Lynch has long experience of cases of public corruption, organized crime, and violent crime. She is also an experienced trial advocacy trainer and has participated in trial advocacy training programs at ICTR on several occasions. Ms. Lynch is familiar with the ICTR, and will set about her task of investigating the matters identified by the Appeals Chamber, and making recommendations to the Prosecutor.

In addition to the Kamuhanda matters, the Prosecutor has also referred certain matters that have arisen, in relation to the Hassan Ngeze appeal, to the Special Counsel for review, investigation, and recommendation.