The International Criminal Court overturned the war crimes conviction of Congolese politician Jean-Pierre Bemba on appeal.

Presiding judge Christine Van den Wijngaert said that Jean-Pierre Bemba could not be held responsible for atrocities carried out by troops under his control in neighbouring Central African Republic. 

"Trial judges had failed to consider the efforts he made to stop crimes once he became aware of them", presiding judge noted.

Bemba, a former vice-president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, had been sentenced to 18 years in prison in June 2016 for alleged crimes including murder and rape.