Secretary-General Regrets Resignation of Lebanon Special Tribunal;

 

Praises Leadership, Excellent Progress Made during Tenure

 

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General received the resignation of the Registrar of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon on 6 January 2010.  It will be effective on 1 March 2010.  The Secretary-General regrets the departure of David Tolbert, who has decided to return to the United States to pursue his career.

The Secretary-General congratulates Mr. Tolbert on his new appointment as President of the International Centre for Transitional Justice and is deeply grateful to him for the services he has rendered to the Organization.  During Mr. Tolbert’s tenure as the Registrar, the Special Tribunal has made excellent progress, and the Registry is an efficient and fully functioning office which is ready to support the judicial activities of the Special Tribunal.  His achievements include ensuring that the administrative infrastructure is in place to support future judicial activities, including key measures such as for witness protection and court management.  He has steered through the Tribunal’s budget for 2010 and raised a significant amount of the necessary funding.  The construction work on the courtroom of the Special Tribunal will be completed before Mr. Tolbert’s departure.

Both the President of the Special Tribunal, Judge Antonio Cassese, and the Prosecutor, Daniel Bellemare, have paid tribute to the leadership that Mr. Tolbert has shown, and the contribution he has made to the efficient and effective functioning of the Special Tribunal.

The Secretary-General will appoint an acting Registrar as an interim measure to ensure the continued smooth functioning of the Registry and the Special Tribunal.

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For information media • not an official record