Spain increases its contribution to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to finance investigations about the war in Ukraine

José Manuel Albares, in a phone call to the Chief Prosecutor, specified that Spain will contribute 540,000 euros to the ad hoc Trust Fund set up by the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC to strengthen all its investigations which, at this time, are focused on the war in Ukraine.

 

The minister also took the opportunity of the phone call to specify that Spain will contribute close to 80,000 euros to the Victims Trust Fund. These sums are in addition to our country’s contribution as a member of the ICC, which amounts to 6.184 million euros each year.

 

This additional pay-out by Spain to this fund takes place after José Manuel Albares, on the occasion of the General Assembly of the United Nations held back in September in New York, undertook to increase the financial support to the ICC, which now translates into this increase in the item initially allocated.

 

The ambassador representing Spain at the ICC, Consuelo Femenía, plans to announce Spain’s contributions during the Assembly of the Member States of this international body that began yesterday and will close today in The Hague. On the occasion of this meeting, Spain’s representative will sign a judicial cooperation agreement developing the procedure that allows those convicted by the ICC to serve out their sentence on Spanish territory.

 

These efforts are in line with Spain’s aim to fight impunity for war crimes against the people of Ukraine. Last November, José Manuel Albares travelled to Kiev, accompanied by a group of coroners and experts from the Spanish National Police and Guardia Civil, who will work on the ICC’s investigations.