Ban Ki-moon names top official for Lebanon tribunal
11 March 2008 - A veteran of numerous international court proceedings has been appointed by United Nations Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon as the Registrar of the tribunal being set up to try those responsible for political killings in Lebanon,
particularly the 2005 attack that killed former prime minister Rafiq Hariri.
Robin Vincent of the United Kingdom will start his duties on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon at a date yet to be
determined, but "the appointment of the Registrar reflects the steady progress being accomplished in establishing the
Special Tribunal for Lebanon," according to a statement issued by Mr. Ban's spokesperson.
From 2002 to 2005, Mr. Vincent served as Registrar of the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL). Since then, he has
served as the temporary Deputy Registrar of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and has
advised on the establishment of other international tribunals, including the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of
Cambodia (ECCC) and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
The Security Council set up the International Independent Investigation Commission (IIIC) in April 2005 after an earlier
UN mission found that Lebanon's own inquiry into the Hariri assassination was seriously flawed and that Syria was
primarily responsible for the political tensions that preceded the attack. Mr. Hariri died in a massive car bombing in
Beirut in February 2005 that also took the lives of 22 others.
ENDS