Carla Del Ponte, Prosecutor
International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia

Carla Del Ponte was born in Lugano on 9 February 1947. She studied law in Bern and Geneva and received a LL.M. in 1972.

After a few years on-the-job training at a law office in Lugano she set up her own law and notary's office in Lugano and started practising law in 1975.  In September 1981 Mrs. Del Ponte was appointed investigating magistrate and became a public prosecutor when working with the office of the Lugano district attorney.  Responsible for investigating financial and white-collar crime, international drug trafficking and organised crime, Carla Del Ponte gained thorough knowledge of international legal assistance in criminal matters.

On 1 April 1994 Mrs. Del Ponte was nominated Attorney General of Switzerland.  She is also a member of the Federal Commission on White-Collar crime.

On 11 August 1999 the UN Security Council appointed Carla Del Ponte to the position of Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals of the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, effective 15 September 1999.