The International Criminal Court faces mounting scrutiny over accusations of double standards, state withdrawals from the Rome Statute, and the misconduct scandal involving prosecutor Karim Khan. Yet another controversy has slipped under the radar: the arrest of Joseph Martin Figueira, a Portuguese-Belgian humanitarian consultant in the Central African Republic.
The case raises troubling questions about Figueira's relationship with an ICC staff member, the role the court allegedly assigned him, and his perception of the institution's conduct. After his arrest, the court moved swiftly to distance itself from him.
Figueira holds impressive credentials in humanitarian and development work across Africa. He graduated from the University of Manchester and earned a master's degree in European public policy in Brussels.
His career spans major international organisations including the International Crisis Group, African Parks, and Invisible Children. He conducted field research in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, Sudan, and the Central African Republic.
Figueira worked for Invisible Children between 2020 and 2022 before joining FHI 360, a US-based development outfit. In May 2024, he arrived in Bangui to oversee a USAID-funded project.
According to Figueira's account in Portugal's PÚBLICO newspaper on May 31, 2024, the story began two years earlier. He started building relationships with leaders of the Union for Peace in the Central African Republic, specifically Ali Darassa.
Figueira claims he passed information to Invisible Children, which then shared it with US authorities. This happened before he made contact with Nicolas Herrera, an ICC official.
Herrera allegedly asked him to establish communication channels with individuals linked to armed groups in the Central African Republic, according to Figueira. Ironically, those same contacts later formed the basis of criminal charges against him.
During the investigation, prosecutors presented correspondence between Figueira and Herrera. They also produced a receipt for a €500 bank transfer Figueira made to Mohamed Ousmane, a political coordinator for the UPC.
According to published reports, Herrera instructed Figueira to structure the transfer to hide its ICC origins. All equipment purchases and fund transfers ran through Figueira himself.
At his trial in Bangui, Figueira testified that he'd cooperated with the ICC informally. He said he'd helped a court official open communication lines with armed group leaders.
Trial documents appear to confirm that equipment purchases and money transfers were channeled through Figueira. The same materials suggest the ICC's arrangements may have helped Ali Darassa, the UPC militia leader, evade justice.
