INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
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Website: www.icj-cij.org
Press Release
Unofficial
No. 2000/28
13 September 2000
Ahmadou Sadio Diallo
(Republic of Guinea v. Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Extension of the time-limits for the filing of written pleadings
THE HAGUE, 13 September 2000. The President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ),
Judge Gilbert Guillaume, has extended the time-limits for the filing of written pleadings in the case
concerning Ahmadou Sadio Diallo (Republic of Guinea v. Democratic Republic of the Congo).
By letter dated 4 September 2000, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Guinea
had requested the Court to extend by nine months the time-limit for the filing of the Memorial of
that State and explained the reasons for that re quest. By letter dated 7September 2000, the Agent
of the Democratic Republic of the Congo replied that a nine-month extension was excessive.
By an Order of 8 September 2000, the President extended to 23March2001 the time-limit
for the filing of the Memorial of the Republic of Guinea and to 4 October 2002 the time-limit for
the filing of the Counter-Memorial of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
These time-limits had hitherto been fixed at 11 September 2000 and 11 September2001
respectively.
The subsequent procedure was reserved for further decision.
History of the proceedings
On 28December1998 the Republic of Guinea file d in the Registry an “Application with a
view to diplomatic protection”, in which it re quested the Court to “condemn the Democratic
Republic of the Congo for the grave breaches of international law perpetrated upon the person of a
Guinean national”, Mr. Ahmadou Sadio Diallo. A ccording to Guinea, Mr. Ahmadou Sadio Diallo,
a businessman who had been a resident of the Demo cratic Republic of the Congo for 32 years, had
been “unlawfully imprisoned by the authorities of that State” for two and a half months, “divested
from his important investments, companies, ba nk accounts, movable and immovable properties,
then expelled” on 2 February 1996 as a result of hi s attempts to recover sums owed to him by the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (especially by Gécamines, a State enterprise holding a mining
monopoly) and by oil companies operating in that country (Zaïre Shell, Zaïre Mobil and Zaïre
Fina) pursuant to contracts concluded with businesses owned by him (Africom-Zaïre and
Africacontainers-Zaïre). As a basis of the Cour t’s jurisdiction, Guinea invoked its own declaration
accepting the compulsory jurisdiction of the Court, of 11 November 1998, and Zaïre’s declaration
of 8 February 1989. - 2 -
By an Order of 25November1999, the Court, taking into account the agreement of the
Parties, had fixed 11 September 2000 as the time-limit for the filing of the Memorial of Guinea and
11September2001 as the time-limit for the filing of the Counter-Memorial of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo.
___________
The full text of the Order will shortly be av ailable on the Court’s website at the following
address: http://www.icj-cij.org
___________
Information Department:
Mr. Arthur Witteveen, First Secretary (+ 31 70 302 23 36)
Mrs. Laurence Blairon, Information Officer (+ 31 70 302 23 37)
E-mail address: information@icj- cij.org
Ahmadou Sadio Diallo (Republic of Guinea v. Democratic Republic of Congo) - Extension of the time-limits for the filing of written pleadings