ICC says it has sole competence over Saif prosecution

THE HAGUE: The International Criminal Court Wednesday said it had "exclusive competence" over the prosecution of deposed leader Moamer Kadhafi's son Seif al-Islam, after its chief prosecutor said Libya had priority in the case.

The June 2011 warrant issued by the court for Seif on charges of crimes against humanity remain "outstanding and procedures as provided for in the Rome Statute need to be followed," the court said in a statement.

"The pre-trial chamber judges have the exclusive comptence to decide on the continuation of the ICC judicial procedure," it said. "Should the Libyan authorities wish to conduct national prosecutions against the suspect, they shall submit a challenge to the admissibility of the case" to the ICC, it said.

AFP