The Trial Chamber at the Khmer Rouge informed all the parties to Case 002 at 5pm yesterday they would have one brief meeting at noon today to address all the outstanding issues the parties have with the trial, which is set to begin Monday.

This final meeting before Case 002 commences comes after a hectic period of months during which the entire format of Case 002 was altered and severed into smaller trials, the fitness of two of the accused, Khmer Rouge Brother Number 2 Nuon Chea and former Social Affairs Minister Ieng Thirith, was called into question and myriad other practical and legal objections and questions were raised by the parties.

Nuon Chea’s defence lawyers told the Post that such a haphazard response to the catalogue of concerns raised by the parties was to be expected from the “chaotic Trial Chamber”.

“Notifying the parties at 17h00 on a Thursday about a midday conference on the following day is emblematic of the Trial Chamber’s notion of professionalism - clearly, common courtesy does not enter into the equation,” Andrew Ianuzzi, of Nuon Chea’s defence team, said by email.