Miatta Maria Samba Explained

Miatta Maria Samba
Office:Judge of the International Criminal Court
Term Start:11 March 2021
Appointer:Assembly of States Parties
Office2:Justice of the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone
Term2:2021
Birth Date:3 October 1971
Education:University of Dundee
Alma Mater:Fourah Bay College

Miatta Maria Samba (born 3 October 1971) is a Sierra Leonian jurist and current Judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands. Before she was a judge for the Residual Special Court and Supreme Court of Sierra Leone.

Education

She earned a Bachelor of Laws from the Fourah Bay College of the University of Sierra Leone and obtained a Master of Law (MSc) in Human Rights and Democratization of Africa from the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, South Africa in 2001.[1] In addition she also received an LL.M from the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy at the University of Dundee in Scotland.[2] Since 1999 she is a member of the Bar of Sierra Leone.

Professional career

Her professional career Samba began in 2002, working as a lawyer for the prosecution at the Special Court for Sierra Leone[3] concerning crimes during the civil war in Sierra Leone. In 2003 she became a lecturer for law at the Fourah Bay College.[4] [5] In 2006 she left for Uganda, where she joined the countries Field Office of the International Criminal Court.[6] Having returned to Sierra Leone in 2009,[7] she served as a Senior Prosecutor for the Anti Corruption Commission of Sierra Leone in two occasions, once from 2010 to 2012 and also between 2014 and 2015.[8] In 2015 she assumed as a Judge for the High Court of Sierra Leone, a post she held until March 2019.[9] In 2019, she was elected as a Judge at the Court of Appeal in Sierra Leone.[10] In January 2020, she was appointed as a Judge to the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone (RSCSL)[11] which replaced the Special Courts for Sierra Leone.[12] The court was integrated by sixteen judges, which in part were nominated by the United Nations and six by the Government of Sierra Leone.[13] In May 2020, Samba was nominated to the International Criminal Court (ICC) by the Government of Sierra Leone.[14] She was elected in December 2020 and assumed in March 2021 for nine years.[15] She presides over the chambers concerning Paul Gicheru[15] from Kenya and Mahamat Said Abdel Kani from the Central African Republic.[16] In February she was also appointed a judge to the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone by President Julius Maada Bio.[17] From the post at the Supreme Court in Sierra Leone she was granted leave in August 2021.[18]

References

  1. Web site: Khumalo. Simphiwe. Centre wishes to congratulate Justice Miatta Maria Samba who has just been elected as a Judge of the ICC. 2021-12-28. Centre for Human Rights. en-GB.
  2. Web site: ATLAS: Justice Miatta Samba. 2021-12-27. ATLAS. en-US.
  3. Web site: Tommy. Ibrahim. 2020-11-03. Assessing the Competence and Process of Nominating Sierra Leone’s Justice Miatta Samba for Election as ICC Judge. 2021-12-27. International Justice Monitor. en-US.
  4. Web site: Dawuni. J. Jarpa. 2020-12-29. Another Judicial Win for Women of Africa: Judge Miatta Maria Samba Elected to the ICC Bench.. 2021-12-27. African Women in Law. en.
  5. Web site: ATLAS: Justice Miatta Samba. 2021-12-27. ATLAS. en-US.
  6. Web site: Miatta Maria Samba. 2021-12-27. Giraffe (magazine). en.
  7. Web site: Tommy. Ibrahim. 2020-11-03. Assessing the Competence and Process of Nominating Sierra Leone’s Justice Miatta Samba for Election as ICC Judge. 2021-12-27. International Justice Monitor. en-US.
  8. Web site: ATLAS: Justice Miatta Samba. 2021-12-27. ATLAS. en-US.
  9. Web site: ATLAS: Justice Miatta Samba. 2021-12-27. ATLAS. en-US.
  10. Web site: Tommy. Ibrahim. 2020-11-03. Assessing the Competence and Process of Nominating Sierra Leone’s Justice Miatta Samba for Election as ICC Judge. 2021-12-27. International Justice Monitor. en-US.
  11. Web site: Dawuni. J. Jarpa. 2020-12-29. Another Judicial Win for Women of Africa: Judge Miatta Maria Samba Elected to the ICC Bench.. 2021-12-27. African Women in Law. en.
  12. Web site: Miatta Maria Samba (Sierra Leone), Statement of Qualifications. 27 December 2021. International Criminal Court.
  13. Web site: The Special Court for Sierra Leone, the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone - Roster of Judges. 2021-12-28. Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone.
  14. Web site: Tommy. Ibrahim. 2020-11-03. Assessing the Competence and Process of Nominating Sierra Leone’s Justice Miatta Samba for Election as ICC Judge. 2021-12-27. International Justice Monitor. en-US.
  15. Web site: Miatta Maria Samba . 2021-12-27 . International Criminal Court.
  16. Web site: 14 January 2022 . Decision on Defence request to suspend the trial preparations . International Criminal Court.
  17. Web site: Justice Miatta Maria Samba – Embassy of the Republic of Sierra Leone. 2021-12-27. en-GB.
  18. Web site: 2021-08-25. Justice Miatta Samba Takes Leave of President Julius Maada Bio, Assures of Quality Representation at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. 2021-12-27. Sierra Leone State House – The Republic of Sierra Leone State House. en-US.