International Criminal Court: Office of the Prosecutor joins national authorities in the Joint Investigation Team on international crimes in Ukraine

International Criminal Court: Office of the Prosecutor joins national authorities in the Joint Investigation Team on international crimes in Ukraine
Photo of Karim Khan by International Criminal Court via flickr.com

26-04-2022

Grace ATALUI MOKANGO

International Justice and Human Rights Researcher 

Global Human Rights Defence

In a press release on 25 April 2022, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court stated that “I am pleased to confirm that today my Office has become a participant in the joint investigation team (JIT) on alleged core international crimes committed in Ukraine, joining existing members Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine.”  

According to the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, a joint investigation team (JIT) is one of the most advanced tools used in international cooperation in criminal matters, comprising a legal agreement between competent authorities of two or more States for the purpose of carrying out criminal investigations. Made up of prosecutors and law enforcement authorities as well as judges, JITs are established for a fixed period, typically between 12 and 24 months, such as is necessary to reach successful conclusions to investigations. 

In the same statement, Karim Khan added that “As I have stated since taking up my position as Prosecutor, the effective exercise of the mandate of my Office requires us to deepen cooperation and collaboration with all relevant actors. The Ukraine situation, in particular, demands collective action so as to secure relevant evidence and ultimately ensure its effective use in criminal proceedings. In recognition of this, my Office takes a landmark step today in joining a JIT under the auspices of Eurojust for the first time”.

It should be noted that the JITs aim to facilitate investigations and prosecutions in the States concerned as well as those that may be initiated before the International Criminal Court. Finally, the Prosecutor thanked the Prosecutors General of Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine, who joined his Office for the signing ceremony marking the beginning of the cooperation with the JITs.





Source and further reading 

European Union Agency for criminal Justice Cooperation, Joint Investigation Team, ( Retrieved 26 April 2022), from: https://www.eurojust.europa.eu/judicial-cooperation/eurojust-role-facilitating-judicial-cooperation-instruments/joint-investigation-teams

International Criminal Court, Statement by ICC Prosecutor, Karim A.A. Khan QC: Office of the Prosecutor joins national authorities in Joint Investigation Team on international crimes committed in Ukraine, Statement, ( 25 April 2022), from: https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/statement-icc-prosecutor-karim-aa-khan-qc-office-prosecutor-joins-national-authorities-joint