(CNN) -- Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, a former politician and militia leader, is expected to go on trial Monday in The Hague, Netherlands, for crimes against humanity.
Last month, the International Criminal Court (ICC) turned down an appeal by Bemba and cleared the way for the trial. He also faces charges of war crimes, including murder, rape and pillaging.
Bemba's defense had 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.
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 between October 2002 and March 2003, the court said.
CNN
