On March 11, 2015, the International Criminal Court issued its decision granting the prosecutor’s request to join the cases of Laurent Gbagbo, former president of Côte d'Ivoire and Charles Blé Goudé, an Ivorian politician, who are both accused of crimes against humanity committed between 2010 and 2011 in Côte d'Ivoire. According to the press release, the pair “had charges confirmed against them which arise from the same allegations, namely crimes allegedly committed during the same four incidents by the same direct perpetrators who targeted the same victims" and “largely the same evidence has been and will be disclosed and presented in both cases.” The prosecutor requested the joining of the cases “in order to ensure the efficacy and expeditiousness of the proceedings.”