{"id":158091,"date":"2026-04-17T10:34:43","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T08:34:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/?p=158091"},"modified":"2026-04-17T11:30:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T09:30:10","slug":"cps-the-other-headless-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html","title":{"rendered":"CPS, the other \u201cheadless\u201d court"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Following the death of its prosecutor on March 25, the Special Criminal Court (CPS) in Bangui is operating without a chief prosecutor and without an approved budget for 2026. While many cases are ready to trial or nearing the end of the investigative phase, donors are urging the court to prepare for its closure at the end of 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>The funeral service for the prosecutor of the Special Criminal Court (CPS), who had died in his country of origin <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/cour-p%C3%A9nale-sp%C3%A9ciale-r%C3%A9publique-centrafricaine-a49a35254_share-7443343706255953920-MMTI\/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop&amp;rcm=ACoAAAB9d-4BXngxTL5HbeDcq-yDogyv3teiOdI\">on March 25<\/a> \u201cafter a long illness\u201d, took place without much fanfare last week-end in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After a highly publicized arrival on May 25, 2017 at Bangui-M\u2019poko International Airport serving the Central African Republic\u2019s capital, Congolese prosecutor Toussaint Muntazini Mukimapa quickly moved to a low profile, not just for strategic reasons. He was affected by a stroke and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/110828-toussaint-muntazini-extend-special-court-mandate-expect-added-value.html\">confided to Justice Info<\/a> more than three years ago that he might step down. This was at the end of the CPS\u2019s first five-year term, which has since been renewed for another five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The announcement of his death made his absence official. According to sources close to the court, he had not been physically present in Bangui since March 2025, and his ability to work had been significantly reduced for several years. The decision was made, however, not to launch a new recruitment process and to leave the court without a chief prosecutor. It was also decided not to make public his official resignation, which was received by the Central African government in mid-February 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When contacted by Justice Info, the two oversight authorities of the hybrid court\u2014the United Nations mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) and the Central African Ministry of Justice\u2014declined to comment on their decision not to launch a recruitment process for a new international prosecutor to succeed the Congolese military prosecutor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/RDCongo_funerailles-Toussaint-Muntazini-Mukimapa_@Le-Potentiel.jpg\" alt=\"A portrait of the former Chief Prosecutor of the Special Criminal Court for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (CPS), Toussaint Muntazini Mukimapa, at his funeral in Kinshasa. Photo: a framed portrait of Muntazini (caption: \u2018In memoriam\u2019) in military uniform, positioned at the side of a long red carpet surrounded by bouquets of flowers, presumably leading to his coffin.\" class=\"wp-image-158081\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/RDCongo_funerailles-Toussaint-Muntazini-Mukimapa_@Le-Potentiel.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/RDCongo_funerailles-Toussaint-Muntazini-Mukimapa_@Le-Potentiel-540x360.jpg 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A portrait of the former Chief Prosecutor of the CPS, formerly a military prosecutor in Congo, taken during the tribute held in his honour on Saturday 11 April at the Palais du Peuple in Kinshasa, attended by Congolese and Central African dignitaries. Photo: \u00a9 Le Potentiel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-strict-diet-in-bangui\">Strict diet in Bangui<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/152952-icc-the-headless-court.html\">International Criminal Court<\/a> (ICC), the CPS is \u201cheadless\u201d for at least a year. Consequently, it is Deputy Prosecutor Alain Ouaby-Beka\u00ef who makes strategic decisions on prosecutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When interviewed by Justice Info, Court President Michel Landry Louanga described a situation that is not conducive to recruitment, noting that as of early April, the CPS still had \u201cno clarity on its 2026 budget\u201d. He said donors asked the court to reduce its staff by 25% in 2025, yet \u201capparently we are now being asked to do more\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to concurring sources, the court\u2019s donors and supervisory bodies agree that the CPS will have to close its doors at the end of its second five-year term in November 2028. \u201cThere will be no funding beyond that, the message has been clear,\u201d confides a judge speaking on condition of anonymity -- although according to the court\u2019s statute, its mandate is renewable \u201cif necessary\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In contrast to the ICC, which saw its budget of nearly 200 million euros renewed at the end of 2025 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/153443-after-the-icc-assembly-the-elephants-remain-in-the-room.html\">without debate<\/a>, austerity measures are in effect at the CPS. The United States, whose annual contribution previously amounted to $1.9 million, stopped supporting it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/148599-car-special-court-wants-to-live-on.html\">in 2025<\/a>. The contribution from the UN mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), which was 5.6 million, remains unknown to this day. Only the return of the European Union in 2025, with a contribution of around 800,000 EUR per year for four years, allows the CPS to hope it can stay afloat, with an annual budget that will in 2026 certainly not reach the $7 million that was barely achieved on average in previous years. The CPS, whose operating budget is estimated at $14 million, has been structurally underfunded since its inception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis drastic reduction in funding has already profoundly affected the court\u2019s operations and threatens its very existence, with serious repercussions on ongoing proceedings and services provided to victims and witnesses,\u201d warned human rights organization Amnesty International <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.fr\/communiques\/rca-la-cour-penale-speciale-risque-de-fermer-en-2026-faute-de-financements-suffisants\/\">in an alarming statement<\/a> on February 11, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<div class=\"ArticleNewsletterCTA\">\r\n\t\t<div class=\"ArticleNewsletterCTATitle\">FIND THIS ARTICLE INTERESTING?<\/div>\r\n\t\t<div class=\"ArticleNewsletterCTAText\">\r\n\t\t\t<a href=\"\/en\/newsletter\">Sign up now for our (free) newsletter<\/a> to make sure you don't miss out on other publications of this type. \t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\t\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-busy-end-of-mandate\">A busy end of mandate?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The court\u2019s president, however, describes a potentially active, even hyperactive, final phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With three trials concluded, resulting in the conviction of 19 lower and mid-ranking militiamen (ten of whom were convicted in absentia), the CPS now boasts a more convincing track record than that of its older sister in The Hague, despite operating in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crisisgroup.org\/fr\/qna\/africa\/central-africa\/central-african-republic\/dix-ans-apres-le-coup-detat-la-republique\">less than favourable<\/a> political and security context. The ICC has, since the launch of its Central African investigations in 2007 (concluded after the arrival of Prosecutor Karim Khan in late 2022), secured the conviction of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/148388-icc-a-throwback-judgment.html\">two mid-level defendants<\/a> and suffered resounding failures, including the acquittal of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/fr\/40532-le-dernier-coup-de-poker-de-bemba-a-la-cpi.html\">Jean-Pierre Bemba<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/135629-mokom-fiasco-part-2-everybody-did-their-job-no-one-needs-to-know.html\">the abrupt halt<\/a> of a trial involving a former minister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The historically established division of labour between an international court to try the highest-ranking suspects and a hybrid tribunal responsible for mid-level perpetrators has not materialized here, and cooperation between the two jurisdictions culminated in 2025 in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/139237-court-chase-bangui.html\">months-long standoff ultimately won by Bangui<\/a>. Edmond Beina, the anti-balaka militia leader sought insistently by an ICC struggling to hold trials, is currently on trial in Bangui alongside other defendants in the so-called \u201cGuen\u201d case, which is currently in its closing phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA second case is currently before the criminal division,\u201d court president Louanga told Justice Info. This is the so-called \u201cBossemb\u00e9l\u00e9\u201d case, which plans to try former president Fran\u00e7ois Bozize in absentia, along with defendants who will be present at the trial. Two other cases of symbolic importance to Central Africans have been referred to the criminal division by investigating judges: the so-called \u201cFatima\u201d case and the \u201cAlindao\u201d case, which targets a currently serving minister, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/tag\/hassan-bouba-en\">Hassan Bouba<\/a>. A third case, known as the \u201cBoyo\u201d case, has been closed since March 12 and involves 16 \u201cBlack Russians\u201d -- Central Africans who collaborated with the Russian armed group <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crisisgroup.org\/cmt\/africa\/central-african-republic\/russias-influence-central-african-republic\">Wagner<\/a>, active in the CAR since 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another investigation is still ongoing, concerning <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/121704-central-african-republic-abdoulaye-hissene-caught-in-special-criminal-court.html\">Abdoulaye Hissene<\/a>, a \u201cbig fish\u201d and former military leader of the FPRC armed group who was arrested on a CPS warrant in September 2023. He is currently in pre-trial detention in Bangui. At least seven other cases are reportedly currently under investigation and nearing completion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-only-one-trial-chamber\">Only one trial chamber<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The CPS\u2019s statute initially provided for three trial chambers composed of nine judges, but it must now make do with a single one. \u201cWhat is provided by law is indeed to have three trial chambers,\u201d says the court\u2019s president. \u201cWith new cases coming in at the end of 2024 and beginning of 2025, we wrote to MINUSCA and the Ministry of Justice to request a second trial chamber. We were told there was no possibility, no money for that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWith just one chamber, it will be very difficult to try all these cases before the end of 2028. It\u2019s practically impossible,\u201d adds Louanga with resignation. \u201cWe won\u2019t know until the very end, if we make it to 2028. We remain determined and hope we\u2019ll find solutions, if only to see this mandate through to the end. That is my most heartfelt wish.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The European Union has launched a project to digitize the archives and is already discussing the transfer of cases to ordinary Central African courts, as part of passing on the court\u2019s legacy. But for now, Louanga notes, the CPS does not know its 2026 budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThanks to the combined contributions of MINUSCA and the European Union, the court\u2019s funding is guaranteed until June 30, 2026. Beyond that date, we will need to find new funding,\u201d MINUSCA spokesperson Florence Marshall told a press conference on February 18, while also acknowledging a liquidity crisis within the parent organization, the UN.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"articleLink articleLink--editorRecommanded articleLink--textInImage articleLink--textTop\" style=\"\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"articleLinkSurTitle\">Recommended reading<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<a class=\"articleLinkImageLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/148599-car-special-court-wants-to-live-on.html\"><div class=\"articleLinkImageContainer \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"540\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Centrafrique_Emile-Ndjapou-juge-Cour-penale-speciale_@Barbara-Debout-AFP-540x360.jpg\" class=\"articleLinkImage backgroundImageTag w-100 wp-post-image\" alt=\"What is the outcome for the Special Criminal Court (SCC) in the Central African Republic? Photo: portrait of SCC judge \u00c9mile Ndjapou staring into the camera.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Centrafrique_Emile-Ndjapou-juge-Cour-penale-speciale_@Barbara-Debout-AFP-540x360.jpg 540w, https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Centrafrique_Emile-Ndjapou-juge-Cour-penale-speciale_@Barbara-Debout-AFP-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Centrafrique_Emile-Ndjapou-juge-Cour-penale-speciale_@Barbara-Debout-AFP-1110x740.jpg 1110w, https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Centrafrique_Emile-Ndjapou-juge-Cour-penale-speciale_@Barbara-Debout-AFP.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px\" \/><\/div><\/a>\r\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/148599-car-special-court-wants-to-live-on.html\" class=\"articleLinkTitle articleLinkTitle--default\">\r\n\t\t\tCAR\u2019s Special Court wants to live on\r\n\t\t<\/a>\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Following the death of its chief prosecutor, the Special Criminal Court (CPS) in Bangui is operating without a chief prosecutor and without an approved budget for 2026. While many cases are ready to trial.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":158073,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[565],"tags":[3077],"ji_location":[2165],"class_list":["post-158091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mixed-tribunals","tag-special-criminal-court","ji_location-central-african-republic"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.3.1 (Yoast SEO v25.3.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>CPS, the other \u201cheadless\u201d court<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Following the death of its chief prosecutor, the Special Criminal Court (CPS) in Bangui is operating without a chief prosecutor and without an approved budget for 2026. While many cases are ready to trial.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CPS, the other \u201cheadless\u201d court\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Following the death of its chief prosecutor, the Special Criminal Court (CPS) in Bangui is operating without a chief prosecutor and without an approved budget for 2026. While many cases are ready to trial.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"JusticeInfo.net\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/JusticeInfo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-17T08:34:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-17T09:30:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Republique-Centrafricaine_Toussaint-Muntazini-Mukimapa-CPS-2017.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"fpetit\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"CPS, the other \u201cheadless\u201d court\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@FranckF_P\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@justiceinfonet\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"fpetit\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"fpetit\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/594d5223f847f747608174d9c27d1abc\"},\"headline\":\"CPS, the other \u201cheadless\u201d court\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-17T08:34:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-17T09:30:10+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html\"},\"wordCount\":1278,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Republique-Centrafricaine_Toussaint-Muntazini-Mukimapa-CPS-2017.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Special Criminal Court\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Mixed tribunals\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html\",\"name\":\"CPS, the other \u201cheadless\u201d court\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Republique-Centrafricaine_Toussaint-Muntazini-Mukimapa-CPS-2017.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-17T08:34:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-17T09:30:10+00:00\",\"description\":\"Following the death of its chief prosecutor, the Special Criminal Court (CPS) in Bangui is operating without a chief prosecutor and without an approved budget for 2026. While many cases are ready to trial.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Republique-Centrafricaine_Toussaint-Muntazini-Mukimapa-CPS-2017.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Republique-Centrafricaine_Toussaint-Muntazini-Mukimapa-CPS-2017.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"Toussaint Muntazini Mukimapa of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, during his swearing-in ceremony in Bangui as Special Prosecutor of the Central African Hybrid Court on 28 June 2017. Afflicted by illness, he had not been physically present in Bangui since March 2025. Photo: \u00a9 RJDH\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"CPS, the other \u201cheadless\u201d court\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/\",\"name\":\"JusticeInfo.net\",\"description\":\"For justice to be done, it must be seen\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Justice Info\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/justiceinfo_logo-trans_1200x1200px.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/justiceinfo_logo-trans_1200x1200px.png\",\"width\":1199,\"height\":1200,\"caption\":\"Justice Info\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/JusticeInfo\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/justiceinfonet\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/justice-info\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCyCEsARodyuWtkWyhn-e7pA\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"fpetit\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/FranckF_P\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/auteur\/fpetit\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"CPS, the other \u201cheadless\u201d court","description":"Following the death of its chief prosecutor, the Special Criminal Court (CPS) in Bangui is operating without a chief prosecutor and without an approved budget for 2026. While many cases are ready to trial.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"CPS, the other \u201cheadless\u201d court","og_description":"Following the death of its chief prosecutor, the Special Criminal Court (CPS) in Bangui is operating without a chief prosecutor and without an approved budget for 2026. While many cases are ready to trial.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html","og_site_name":"JusticeInfo.net","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/JusticeInfo\/","article_published_time":"2026-04-17T08:34:43+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-17T09:30:10+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Republique-Centrafricaine_Toussaint-Muntazini-Mukimapa-CPS-2017.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"fpetit","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"CPS, the other \u201cheadless\u201d court","twitter_creator":"@FranckF_P","twitter_site":"@justiceinfonet","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"fpetit","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html"},"author":{"name":"fpetit","@id":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/594d5223f847f747608174d9c27d1abc"},"headline":"CPS, the other \u201cheadless\u201d court","datePublished":"2026-04-17T08:34:43+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-17T09:30:10+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html"},"wordCount":1278,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Republique-Centrafricaine_Toussaint-Muntazini-Mukimapa-CPS-2017.jpg","keywords":["Special Criminal Court"],"articleSection":["Mixed tribunals"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html","url":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html","name":"CPS, the other \u201cheadless\u201d court","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Republique-Centrafricaine_Toussaint-Muntazini-Mukimapa-CPS-2017.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-17T08:34:43+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-17T09:30:10+00:00","description":"Following the death of its chief prosecutor, the Special Criminal Court (CPS) in Bangui is operating without a chief prosecutor and without an approved budget for 2026. While many cases are ready to trial.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Republique-Centrafricaine_Toussaint-Muntazini-Mukimapa-CPS-2017.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Republique-Centrafricaine_Toussaint-Muntazini-Mukimapa-CPS-2017.jpg","width":1200,"height":800,"caption":"Toussaint Muntazini Mukimapa of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, during his swearing-in ceremony in Bangui as Special Prosecutor of the Central African Hybrid Court on 28 June 2017. Afflicted by illness, he had not been physically present in Bangui since March 2025. Photo: \u00a9 RJDH"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/158091-cps-the-other-headless-court.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"CPS, the other \u201cheadless\u201d court"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/","name":"JusticeInfo.net","description":"For justice to be done, it must be seen","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/#organization","name":"Justice Info","url":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/justiceinfo_logo-trans_1200x1200px.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/justiceinfo_logo-trans_1200x1200px.png","width":1199,"height":1200,"caption":"Justice Info"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/JusticeInfo\/","https:\/\/x.com\/justiceinfonet","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/justice-info","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCyCEsARodyuWtkWyhn-e7pA"]},{"@type":"Person","name":"fpetit","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/FranckF_P"],"url":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/auteur\/fpetit"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/72"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158091"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158091\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":158110,"href":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158091\/revisions\/158110"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158091"},{"taxonomy":"ji_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ji_location?post=158091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}