Miatta Maria Samba
{{Short description|Sierra Leonean judge at the International Criminal Court}}{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Miatta Maria Samba
| office = Judge of the International Criminal Court
| term_start = 11 March 2021
| term_end =
| appointer = Assembly of States Parties
| nominator = Sierra Leone
| office2 = Justice of the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone
| term2 = 2021
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1971|10|3}}
| education = University of Dundee
| alma_mater = Fourah Bay College
}}
Miatta Maria Samba (born 3 October 1971) is a Sierra Leonian jurist and current Judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands. Before she was a judge for the Residual Special Court and Supreme Court of Sierra Leone.
Education
She earned a Bachelor of Laws from the Fourah Bay College of the University of Sierra Leone and obtained a Master of Law (MSc) in Human Rights and Democratization of Africa from the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, South Africa in 2001.{{Cite web|last=Khumalo|first=Simphiwe|title=Centre wishes to congratulate Justice Miatta Maria Samba who has just been elected as a Judge of the ICC|url=https://www.chr.up.ac.za/news-archive/2362-hrda-alumni-elected-as-international-criminal-court-judge|access-date=2021-12-28|website=Centre for Human Rights|language=en-GB}} In addition she also received an LL.M from the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy at the University of Dundee in Scotland.{{Cite web|title=ATLAS: Justice Miatta Samba|url=https://www.atlaswomen.org/profiles/2020/9/3/justice-miatta-samba|access-date=2021-12-27|website=ATLAS|language=en-US}} Since 1999 she is a member of the Bar of Sierra Leone.
Professional career
Her professional career Samba began in 2002, working as a lawyer for the prosecution at the Special Court for Sierra Leone{{Cite web|last=Tommy|first=Ibrahim|date=2020-11-03|title=Assessing the Competence and Process of Nominating Sierra Leone’s Justice Miatta Samba for Election as ICC Judge|url=https://www.ijmonitor.org/2020/11/assessing-the-competence-and-process-of-nominating-sierra-leones-justice-miatta-samba-for-election-as-icc-judge/|access-date=2021-12-27|website=International Justice Monitor|language=en-US}} concerning crimes during the civil war in Sierra Leone. In 2003 she became a lecturer for law at the Fourah Bay College.{{Cite web|last=Dawuni|first=J. Jarpa|date=2020-12-29|title=Another Judicial Win for Women of Africa: Judge Miatta Maria Samba Elected to the ICC Bench.|url=https://www.africanwomeninlaw.com/post/another-judicial-win-for-women-of-africa-judge-miatta-maria-samba-elected-to-the-icc-bench|access-date=2021-12-27|website=African Women in Law|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=ATLAS: Justice Miatta Samba|url=https://www.atlaswomen.org/profiles/2020/9/3/justice-miatta-samba|access-date=2021-12-27|website=ATLAS|language=en-US}} In 2006 she left for Uganda, where she joined the countries Field Office of the International Criminal Court.{{Cite web|title=Miatta Maria Samba|url=https://www.giraffe.org/miatta-maria-sambab|access-date=2021-12-27|website=Giraffe (magazine)|language=en}} Having returned to Sierra Leone in 2009,{{Cite web|last=Tommy|first=Ibrahim|date=2020-11-03|title=Assessing the Competence and Process of Nominating Sierra Leone’s Justice Miatta Samba for Election as ICC Judge|url=https://www.ijmonitor.org/2020/11/assessing-the-competence-and-process-of-nominating-sierra-leones-justice-miatta-samba-for-election-as-icc-judge/|access-date=2021-12-27|website=International Justice Monitor|language=en-US}} she served as a Senior Prosecutor for the Anti Corruption Commission of Sierra Leone in two occasions, once from 2010 to 2012 and also between 2014 and 2015.{{Cite web|title=ATLAS: Justice Miatta Samba|url=https://www.atlaswomen.org/profiles/2020/9/3/justice-miatta-samba|access-date=2021-12-27|website=ATLAS|language=en-US}} In 2015 she assumed as a Judge for the High Court of Sierra Leone, a post she held until March 2019.{{Cite web|title=ATLAS: Justice Miatta Samba|url=https://www.atlaswomen.org/profiles/2020/9/3/justice-miatta-samba|access-date=2021-12-27|website=ATLAS|language=en-US}} In 2019, she was elected as a Judge at the Court of Appeal in Sierra Leone.{{Cite web|last=Tommy|first=Ibrahim|date=2020-11-03|title=Assessing the Competence and Process of Nominating Sierra Leone’s Justice Miatta Samba for Election as ICC Judge|url=https://www.ijmonitor.org/2020/11/assessing-the-competence-and-process-of-nominating-sierra-leones-justice-miatta-samba-for-election-as-icc-judge/|access-date=2021-12-27|website=International Justice Monitor|language=en-US}} In January 2020, she was appointed as a Judge to the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone (RSCSL){{Cite web|last=Dawuni|first=J. Jarpa|date=2020-12-29|title=Another Judicial Win for Women of Africa: Judge Miatta Maria Samba Elected to the ICC Bench.|url=https://www.africanwomeninlaw.com/post/another-judicial-win-for-women-of-africa-judge-miatta-maria-samba-elected-to-the-icc-bench|access-date=2021-12-27|website=African Women in Law|language=en}} which replaced the Special Courts for Sierra Leone.{{Cite web|title=Miatta Maria Samba (Sierra Leone), Statement of Qualifications|url=https://asp.icc-cpi.int/iccdocs/asp_docs/Elections/EJ2020/ICC-ASP-EJ2020-SLE-ST-ENG.pdf|access-date=27 December 2021|website=International Criminal Court}} The court was integrated by sixteen judges, which in part were nominated by the United Nations and six by the Government of Sierra Leone.{{Cite web|title=The Special Court for Sierra Leone, the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone - Roster of Judges|url=http://www.rscsl.org/RSCSL-Roster_of_Judges.html|access-date=2021-12-28|website=Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone}} In May 2020, Samba was nominated to the International Criminal Court (ICC) by the Government of Sierra Leone.{{Cite web|last=Tommy|first=Ibrahim|date=2020-11-03|title=Assessing the Competence and Process of Nominating Sierra Leone’s Justice Miatta Samba for Election as ICC Judge|url=https://www.ijmonitor.org/2020/11/assessing-the-competence-and-process-of-nominating-sierra-leones-justice-miatta-samba-for-election-as-icc-judge/|access-date=2021-12-27|website=International Justice Monitor|language=en-US}} She was elected in December 2020 and assumed in March 2021 for nine years.{{Cite web |title=Miatta Maria Samba |url=https://www.icc-cpi.int/CourtStructure/Pages/judge.aspx?name=Judge%20Miatta%20Maria%20Samba |access-date=2021-12-27 |website=International Criminal Court}} She presides over the chambers concerning Paul Gicheru from Kenya and Mahamat Said Abdel Kani from the Central African Republic.{{Cite web |date=14 January 2022 |title=Decision on Defence request to suspend the trial preparations |url=https://www.icc-cpi.int/sites/default/files/CourtRecords/CR2022_00138.PDF |website=International Criminal Court}} In February she was also appointed a judge to the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone by President Julius Maada Bio.{{Cite web|title=Justice Miatta Maria Samba – Embassy of the Republic of Sierra Leone|url=https://www.sierraleoneembassy.brussels/category/justice-miatta-maria-samba/|access-date=2021-12-27|language=en-GB}} From the post at the Supreme Court in Sierra Leone she was granted leave in August 2021.{{Cite web|date=2021-08-25|title=Justice Miatta Samba Takes Leave of President Julius Maada Bio, Assures of Quality Representation at the International Criminal Court in The Hague|url=https://statehouse.gov.sl/justice-miatta-samba-takes-leave-of-president-julius-maada-bio-assures-of-quality-representation-at-the-international-criminal-court-in-the-hague/|access-date=2021-12-27|website=Sierra Leone State House – The Republic of Sierra Leone State House|language=en-US}}