Baragwanath, Riachi Reelected as STL President and Vice President

Judge Sir David Baragwanath was unanimously reelected on Tuesday as the Special Tribunal for Lebanon president and Presiding Judge of the Appeals Chamber, announced the STL in a statement.

The Appeals Chamber also voted unanimously to reelect Judge Ralph Riachi of Lebanon as the vice president, it added.

They will now serve 18-month terms, it explained.

Baragwanath was first elected president after Judge Antonio Cassese stepped down in October 2011 on health grounds.

Under the tribunal’s Rules, Baragwanath and Riachi continued to serve in their posts, following the end of their mandate (Rule 35(C)).

“The Appeals Chamber had to be fully constituted before an election could take place. The swearing-in ceremony of Judge Daniel Nsereko marked the return of the Appeals Chamber to full strength,” said the STL statement.

Appeals Chamber Judge Daniel Nsereko was sworn in to his post on Monday, announced the tribunal earlier this week.

“Baragwanath brings nearly fifty years of legal experience to the presidency. He has practiced both as a defense and as a prosecution counsel,” it added.

“He has extensive experience in New Zealand as a High Court and Court of Appeal judge. He was also President of the New Zealand Law Commission,” it stated.

His biography is available at:

http://www.stl-tsl.org/en/about-the-stl/key-characters/judges-of-the-special-tribunal-for-lebanon/president-judge-sir-david-baragwanath

“Riachi served as president of the Lebanese Disciplinary Council for Judges and was a member of the Lebanese Supreme Council of the Judiciary until December 2008,” said the STL.

“He was elected ad litem judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in 2000. Until his appointment to the tribunal Riachi served as president of the Criminal Chamber in the Lebanese Court of Cassation and was a member of the Court of Justice,” it added.

His biography is available at:

http://www.stl-tsl.org/en/about-the-stl/key-characters/judges-of-the-special-tribunal-for-lebanon/vice-president-judge-ralph-riachi