Understanding the International Criminal Court

54. Does the confirmation of charges prejudge the suspect’s guilt?

No.  The  purpose  of  the  confirmation  hearing  is  to  safeguard  the  rights  of  suspects  by  preventing

proceedings with insufficient legal basis from being brought against them. In the pre-trial phase, the

Prosecution must support each of the charges with sufficient evidence to establish substantial grounds

to believe that the person committed the crimes charged. If one or more charge is confirmed, the case

is committed to trial before a Trial Chamber.