Kenya's deputy leader pledges commitment to ICC trial

THE HAGUE (AFP) - Kenya's Deputy President William Ruto pledged his country's continued cooperation with the International Criminal Court on Tuesday where he and President Uhuru Kenyatta face crimes against humanity trials, but maintained he was a "victim of a conspiracy of lies".

"The new (Kenyan) administration, popularly elected in free and fair elections, will continue to cooperate with the court," Ruto told the tribunal based in The Hague, where he and another co-accused Joshua arap Sang, appeared at a hearing to discuss progress ahead of their trial.

"The president (Kenyatta) and I firmly believe in the rule of law and that the truth must be found," said Ruto, who was elected as the east African country's deputy leader in April after new and largely peaceful polls.

But just as there were victims who died and lost property in violence that rocked Kenya in late 2007-08 over the previous elections, a "second set of victims" followed, Ruto said.

"This is the set of victims I belong to. Victims of a syndicate of falsehoods and a conspiracy of lies choreographed by networks who are obviously against truth and justice," Ruto said, but he did not elaborate.

Ruto, 46, faces three charges of crimes against humanity for his role in the deadly violence in which some 1,100 people died after allegations of vote-rigging, shattering Kenya's image as a beacon of regional stability.

What began as political riots quickly turned into ethnic killings and reprisal attacks, plunging Kenya into its worst wave of unrest since independence in 1963.

The ICC in January 2012 confirmed crimes of humanity charges against four senior Kenyans including Ruto, Sang and Kenya's newly President Kenyatta.

Charges against a fourth accused, civil servant Francis Muthaura were dramatically dropped in March after a key witness in his case was discredited and other witnesses either refused to testify or had died.

The cases against the remaining three -- Ruto and Sang will be tried separately from Kenyatta, who faces five counts of crimes against humanity including murder and deportation -- have however slowed to a crawl.

ICC judges earlier this month again postponed the start of Ruto and Sang's trial, saying a number of administrative issues needed to be resolved at Tuesday's status hearing.

They are scheduled to set a new trial date later this month.

Kenyatta's own trial is set down to start on June 9.

All three men have denied the charges.