( CNN ) -- An international court cleared the way Tuesday to try a former politician and militia leader for crimes against humanity and war crimes including murder , rape and pillaging . The International Criminal Court ( ICC ) in The Hague , Netherlands , knocked down an appeal by Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo , ruling that the court may admit his case to trial . Bemba 's defense challenged his case 's admissibility on the grounds that the Central African Republic ( CAR ) -- the country the alleged crimes occurred in -- investigated the case and made a `` decision not to prosecute . '' The ICC decided that the CAR 's action does not prohibit the case from being tried , according to a news release issued by the court Tuesday . Bemba , a former vice president in the Democratic Republic of Congo , is accused of leading his militia in attacks on civilians in the CAR for almost five months , according to the International Federation for Human Rights ( IFHR ) . Under his leadership his Movement for the Liberation of Congo ( MLC ) allegedly murdered , raped and pillaged in the neighboring country `` during the period approximately between 26 October 2002 and 15 March , 2003 '' , according to the ICC .
Court of appeal by Bemba . He is accused of leading his militia in attacks on civilians in the CAR for almost two months .