Today, as the reserve international Co-Investigating Judge Laurent Kasper-Ansermet issued a press statement without any consultation with the national Co-Investigating Judge, the national Co-Investigating Judge would like to announce as follows:
1. After the resignation of the international Co-Investigating Judge Siegfried BLUNK on October 9, 2011, a new international Co-Investigating Judge has yet to be officially appointed until now.
2. On 5th December 2011, the national Co-Investigating Judge met with the reserve international Co-Investigating Judge Laurent Kasper-Ansermet at the Office of the Co-Investigating Judges and informed judge Laurent Kasper-Ansermet that to ensure the legal correctness (in accordance with the principles stipulated in Rule 7.4 of the Internal Rules, Articles 26 and 27 of the Law on the Establishment of the ECCC and Article 3 and Article 5.6 of the Agreement) as well as to ensure the common practices applied so far on the precedent international Co-Investigating Judges, a reserve international Co-Investigating Judge must first wait for an official appointment before commencing his duties. For this reason, any procedural action taken by Judge Laurent Kasper-Ansermet is not legally valid.