THE HAGUE, Netherlands, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- The ICC said four people were arrested for influencing witnesses testifying before the court in the case against Congolese warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo.
Arrested in 2008, the warlord faces two counts of crimes against humanity and three counts of war crimes, including murder, as military commander of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo, active in the Central African Republic.
"The suspects, it is alleged, were part of a network for the purposes of presenting false or forged documents and bribing certain persons to give false testimony in the case against [the warlord]," the court said in a statement Sunday.
The International Criminal Court said four people were arrested, including members of his defense team, for influencing witnesses before the ICC.
Fatou Bensouda, chief ICC prosecutor, said she was frustrated with the interference.
"It is particularly disturbing that a member of the legal profession is alleged to have intentionally and systematically participated in criminal activities aimed at undermining the administration of justice," she said in a statement.
A fifth arrest warrant was issued against the warlord himself. He's suspected of ordering, soliciting and inducing "these attempts to pervert the course of justice in relation to his on-going trial."
The arrests of the four suspects were carried out separately by Belgian, French and Dutch authorities.
