Former Congolese VP Bemba convicted of witness tampering at war crimes court

Congolese former vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba and his defence team bribed witnesses to lie in his defence at a war crimes trial that ended in the highest ranking conviction by the International Criminal Court, judges ruled on Wednesday. The court said that 14 key witnesses had been coached about what to say and that Bemba and four other defendants had conspired to present false evidence to the court. Supporters of Bemba, who is appealing his conviction and 18-year sentence for overseeing a campaign of rape and murder in the Central African Republic more than a decade ago, had no immediate comment.