Kunti K
Facts
Kuti K. was born in 1974. He is a Liberian national, naturalized Dutch. He was allegedly a former commander in the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (ULIMO) fighting during the First Liberian civil war (1989-1996).
The ULIMO was fighting Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) until 1996.
Legal procedure
On 23 July 2018, the Swiss NGO Civitas Maxima launched a complaint in the name of Liberian victims before the Office of the prosecutor in Paris.
On 4 September 2018, he was arrested by the OCLCH agency, the French police unit specialised in investigating war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and torture. Kunti K. was remanded in custody.
In 2019, Kunti K. has appointed a third additional lawyer to defend his interests. The new counsel requested that the investigative judge issue a visiting permit to meet Kunti K. in pre-trial detention. The visiting permit was sent to the wrong person and the new counsel never received the visiting permit. Consequently, the new counsel requested the release of his client.
On 6 September 2019, Kunti K. was released from pre-trial detention. In early January 2020, he was returned to prison after failing to fulfill an obligation related to his release, namely to live at an address known to, and agreed upon by justice.
In early January 2020, Kunti K. was returned to prison after failing to fulfill an obligation related to his release, namely to live at an address known to, and agreed upon by the judge.
On 26 November 2020, the investigative judge issued a closing order ordering Kunti K. to be sent to trial for crimes of torture, barbaric acts and complicity in torture and aggravated acts of barbarism.
On 1 April 2021, the investigative chamber ruled in favor of the prosecutor, by expanding the indictment to cover crimes against humanity in addition to crimes of torture and acts of barbarism and confirmed the referral to trial of Kunti K.
In June 2021, the trial was set to begin on 10 October 2022.
