International Criminal Court Structure
International Criminal Court Structure and Administration
Introduction to International Criminal Court Structure
The ICC has three main functional divisions: the judges, the registrar, and the prosecutors.
The court consists of 18 judges. They are elected by the Assembly of States Parties in a secret ballot. During judicial elections each participating nation may nominate one candidate. The candidate must be an expert either in criminal law and procedure or in relevant areas of international law, such as human rights law or the law of armed conflict. Judges serve a single term of nine years; however, in the first election only, held in 2003, judges were randomly assigned terms of three, six, or nine years. To ensure geographic diversity, no two judges may be of the same nationality. The judges are led by the Presidency, a group of three judges who are responsible for the judicial administration of the court. The Presidency consists of a president, first vice president, and second vice president. Judges in the Presidency are elected by the court’s judges and serve three-year terms.
The judges are assigned to pretrial, trial, and appeals chambers. The pretrial chamber has the power to authorize investigations by the prosecutor, and it may issue orders, warrants, and summons during an investigation. It also has the responsibility to protect the rights of victims and witnesses during pretrial proceedings and to ensure due process for the accused. The trial chamber’s function is to conduct a fair, speedy trial, to convict or acquit the accused, and to sentence those convicted. The appeals chamber has the power to reverse or amend convictions and sentences and to order new trials.
The Registry is the administrative arm of the court and oversees nonjudicial matters. It is headed by a registrar who is the principal administrative officer of the court. The registrar is elected by the judges to a five-year term.
The Office of the Prosecutor is responsible for conducting investigations and prosecutions. It consists of a chief prosecutor elected by the Assembly of States Parties in a secret ballot, as well as one or more deputy prosecutors. Deputy prosecutors are nominated by the chief prosecutor and elected by the assembly. Both the chief prosecutor and the deputy prosecutors serve a term of nine years and are not eligible for reelection.
The ICC is financed primarily by dues from states that are parties to the Rome Statute. Other funds may be supplied by the United Nations, if the General Assembly approves, and from voluntary contributions of governments, international organizations, businesses, and individuals. The statute requires an annual independent audit of all financial records of the court. To guard the independence of the court, the salaries of judges and other court officials may not be reduced while they hold office.” (1)
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