The International Criminal Court has ruled that former DR Congo vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba will stand trial on five charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
A pre-trial panel of judges 'found that there is sufficient evidence to believe that Jean-Pierre Bemba is criminally responsible for murder, rape and pillaging.'
They 'referred the case for trial before a trial chamber' on three counts of war crimes and two of crimes against humanity.
Mr Bemba, 46, appeared before the ICC in The Hague in January for a hearing to confirm charges against him, arguing that militia accused of atrocities in the Central African Republic from October 2002 to March 2003 were not under his command.
The Belgian-educated son of a rich businessman had unsuccessfully challenged Joseph Kabila for the presidency of the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2006 elections.
He went into exile after his private militia was routed by government forces in 2007 and was arrested on an ICC warrant during a visit to Brussels in May 2008.
Prosecutors claim he sent 1,000 to 1,500 troops to the CAR to retain control of the border area with the Congolese province of Equateur in a war between his rebels and then DR Congo leader Laurent Kabila, father of the current president.
While there, the prosecution alleges that Bemba's militia raped men, women and children, and tortured and murdered civilians.
Prosecutors had sought to try him on five counts of war crimes and three of crimes against humanity.
But the judges ruled on Monday that there was insufficient evidence to try him on charges of torture or outrages upon personal dignity.
