Cuno Tarfusser

His HonourJudge Cuno Tarfusser
2nd Vice-President of the International Criminal Court
In office 2012–2015
Preceded by	Hans-Peter Kaul
Succeeded by	Kuniko Ozaki
Judge of International Criminal Court
In office 11 March 2009 – 10 March 2018
Preceded by	Mauro Politi
Personal details
Born	(1954-08-11)11 August 1954 Merano,South Tyrol, Italy
Alma mater	University of Innsbruck University of Padua
Profession	Prosecutor

Cuno Jakob Tarfusser(born 11 August 1954) is an Italianjudgeof theInternational Criminal Court(ICC).

Education and early career

Tarfusser studied at theUniversity of Innsbruckand theUniversity of Padova.Prior to his appointment to the ICC, he had an extensive legal career in Italy as aprosecutor,including holding the office of Chief Public Prosecutor.

Judge of the International Criminal Court, 2009-present

Tarfusser was appointed to his position on the ICC on 11 March 2009He is assigned to Pre-Trial Chamber II at the International Criminal Court.

Together with judgesHans-Peter KaulandEkaterina Trendafilova,Tarfusser made the landmark decision that sawKenyan PresidentUhuru Kenyatta,his DeputyWilliam Ruto,former Head of Civil ServiceFrancis Muthauraand journalistJoshua Sangcommitted to trial in January 2012.

In October 2013, Tarfusser issued an arrest warrant for Kenyan journalist Walter Barasa on suspicion of attempting to bribe a potential witness in theInternational Criminal Court investigation in Kenyaagainst Ruto; this was the first time the court sought to prosecute someone over interfering with its legal process.

In February 2015, Tarfusser and Trendafilova dissented with their colleagues of the Pre-Trial Chamber II in their decision to uphold the acquittal of militia leaderMathieu Ngudjolo Chuiof commanding fighters who destroyed the village of Bogoro in eastern Congo in 2003, raping and hacking to death some 200 people including children. The original 2012 judgment had been only the second verdict in the court's history and the first time it had cleared a suspect. Both Tarfusser and Trendafilova argued that the appeals chamber should have ordered a retrial because of errors by the trial panel, saying that "vital evidence was disregarded."

In March 2015, Tarfusser unsuccessfully ran for the office ofPresident of the International Criminal Court;he ended up losing toSilvia Fernández de Gurmendiby one vote.

Also in March 2015, the Pre-Trial Chamber designated Tarfusser to replace Trendiflova in proceeding with the trial ofDominic Ongwenas a single judge. As presiding judge of the Pre Trial Chamber II, Tarfusser was also put in charge of the case against LRA leadersJoseph Kony,Vincent OttiandOkot Odhiambo.Soon after, he issued the order to terminate proceedings against Odhiambo following the release of a forensic report confirming that Odhiambo was killed in theCentral African Republic.

In a 2015 majority decision of the Pre-Trial Chamber I, Tarfusser joined his fellow judgeJoyce Aluoch– with JudgePéter Kovácsdissenting – in requestingICC ProsecutorFatou Bensoudato reconsider her decision not to investigate theGaza flotilla raidof 31 May 2010.

Since September 2015, Tarfusser has been serving as presiding judge in the case ofAhmad al-Faqi,the first individual to face charges of thewar crimeof damaging mankind's cultural heritage at the court.