ICC grants bail to Congolese ex-Vice President

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has ordered the conditional release of Congolese ex-Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba ahead of his war crimes trial.

An ICC statement said a pre-trial chamber had found that Mr. Bemba's continued detention was not necessary to ensure his appearance at his trial, to ensure he did not hamper court proceedings or to prevent him "from continuing with the commission of the same or related crimes".

He is to face trial on three counts of war crimes and two of crimes against humanity.

Mr. Bemba, who led a rebel group during the Democratic Republic of Congo's civil war, was arrested in Belgium last year and sent to the ICC to face trial.

The charges relate to unrest in the Central African Republic (CAR).

Mr. Bemba says his troops were not under his command once they crossed the border into CAR to help then-President Ange-Felix Patasse put down a coup attempt in 2002.