Olufemi Elias

Olufemi Elias
In office 1 January 2017 – 30 June 2020
Preceded by	John Hocking
Succeeded by	Abubacarr Marie Tambadou
Personal details
Nationality	Nigerian
Occupation	Registrar (United Nations Assistant Secretary-General) of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT)

Olufemi Elias is a Nigerian lawyer who served as Registrar of the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) until 30 June 2020.

Early life and education

Elias studied at Corona School, and then Igbobi College, Lagos, Nigeria before obtaining a law degree from the University of Oxford, a Master of Laws from the University of Cambridge and a doctorate from University College London. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988.

His father, Justice Taslim Olawale Elias was the very first Attorney-General and Chief Justice of Nigeria and a judge and President of the International Court of Justice.

Career

Elias has held several functions including being a Judge for Staff Appeals, Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL); Legal Adviser and Director, Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), The Hague; Executive Secretary (Registrar), World Bank Administrative Tribunal, Washington D.C.; Senior Legal Officer, OPCW; Special Assistant to the Executive Secretary, United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC), Geneva and Legal Adviser, Governing Council Secretariat, UNCC.

Elias is a visiting professor at the Department of Law, Queen Mary University of London and has taught at the King's College London and the University of Buckingham. He is also the author of several publications in the field of International Law and was awarded the Honorary Membership Award of the American Society of International Law (ASIL) in recognition of his contributions to international law.

Elias was a candidate in the 2020 International Court of Justice judges election. He was not elected.

In early 2022, Elias was appointed by the International Monetary Fund to an external panel to strengthen institutional safeguards in the wake of a data scandal involving IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva during her time at the World Bank.

He is currently the President of the Administrative Tribunal of the OPEC Fund, and vice-chairman and Judge of the Islamic Development Bank Administrative Tribunal.

Functions at the Mechanism

The Registrar heads the Registry, which provides administrative, legal, policy and diplomatic support services to all organs of the Mechanism.

Statements and speeches

Date	Statement or Speech
11 Jul 2018	[1] Registrar Elias' Address at the commemoration of the Srebrenica genocide
8 Mar 2018	[2] Registrar Elias' message in commemoration of International Women's Day 2018
17 May 2017	[3] Registrar Elias’ remarks at the Diplomatic Briefing at the Hague branch of the Mechanism

Other activities

• Institut de Droit International, Membre Associé
• American Society of International Law, Former Member of the Executive Council
• International Arbitration Review, Member of the Advisory Board
• African Association of International Law, Former Secretary General
• African Journal of International and Comparative Law, Member of the Editorial Board
• International Gender Champions (IGC), Member
• International Law Association, Member
• Nigerian Society of International Law, Life Member
• Igbobi College Old Boy's Association Merit Award for Professional Achievement