Ex-Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo would face counts of crimes against humanity as he was transferred to the headquarters of the International Criminal Court on Wednesday.

Ex-Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo would face counts of crimes against humanity as he was transferred to the headquarters of the International Criminal Court on Wednesday.

"This is the first case in the Cote d'Ivoire. It would not be the last case. This is just the beginning “, the ICC’s chief prosecutor, Moreno-Ocampo, said following Gbagbo transfer.

Gbagbo was transferred early Wednesday from northern Ivory Coast by charted plane to the Hague-based ICC's detention facility.

Ocampo told Agence France Press that Gbagbo's transfer was the result of meticulous planning and close co-operation between the prosecutor's office and the Ivorian authorities.
"In Abidjan... we worked a lot. That's why we were so fast," said Moreno-Ocampo, adding his team completed all the interviews in one week to complete the investigation.

"We also got good co-operation from the Cote d'Ivoire prosecutor because they interviewed more than 160 victims," Moreno-Ocampo added, saying "they gave us an enormous amount of evidence."
"It was a combination of good co-operation," he said.

Gbagbo is facing four counts of crimes against humanity, namely murder, rape and other forms of sexual violence, persecution and other inhuman acts allegedly committed in the country after elections in December 2010, the court said.

The former President refused to cede power after his opponent,Alassane Ouattara who is now the current President, won the poll.

The violence that followed Gbagbo's refusal to cede power in the west African country killed some 3,000 people according to the UN.