Resumption of Charles Taylor Trial
Abdul Rashid at the Special Court in The Hague
The Hague, the Netherlands, January 7, 2008 -- Mr. Taylor appeared in court dressed in a black suit, white shirt, black tie spotted with white. He has a gold rim specs on and appeared to be in good health. Present also was his Attorneys Courtnay Grifiths, Terry Munyard and Andrew Cayley.
The prosecutor Nicholas Koumjian opened his case with the testimony of Ian Smilie an expert witness.
The prosecution tendered several video clips in evidence. These include clips about the diamond mining from the days of Stevens onto those showing amputations and testimonies by victims during RUF occupation of Kono. The defense raised objections over some of the clips. Saying the witness is an expert in diamond not history. Justice Julia Sebutinde upholds some but allowed the prosecution to proceed asking him to rephrase his questions to the witness.
Also tendered in court was a fax alleging to be an appointment letter by Chief of Defense Staff of the RUF Major General Sam Bockarie of Mr. Mohamed Hedjazy.
Special Court in Freetown. April 2006.
Photo © George Osodi / AP
Trafficking of arms and Diamonds
The witness mentioned that in March 1999 alone there were six flight delivery of ammunition to Liberia. Photos of the aircraft were marked for identification.
Mr. Taylor had told the panel that Mr. Leonard Menning the owner of the air craft had wanted to sell the plane as presidential jet but it was too expensive, according to the witness when they posed the question to Taylor during their visit. The pictures were taken by a crew member at Bobodialaso in Burkina Faso and shows wooden crates said to contain arms and ammunitions. The Angola Panel of Experts had earlier identified the plane, and the witness verified in Ukraine that the end user certificate was for Burkina Faso. There were also flight loads from Niami in Niger. Antenoff planes owned by Russian Victor Bout operating in Liberia were also involved in the trafficking of arms, the witness said.
The panel met with Taylor in 2000 and raised the issue of trafficking in diamonds mentioned by US under Secretary of State Bickering but Taylor said it was untrue. Liberia was exporting large quantities of diamonds than Sierra Leone. He said Jenkin Dumbar minister of mines took them to Pennsville mines but there were no diggers. Liberia has no known record of exporting large volumes of high quality diamonds, Mr. Smilie said.
The witness gave a history of the diamond trade in Sierra Leone. Smilie said he was a CUSO volunteer teacher in Koidu – Sefadu in Sierra Leone in 1967.
He has worked with several international Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) such as Care and CUSO. But his in depth work about the diamond industry started with Africa Canada Partnership. Has wrote several reports and served as consultant to NGOs and the UN.
Mr. Smilie was part of the meeting that led to the Kimberley Certification Scheme in South Africa in 2003. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan appointed him member of the UN Panel of Experts. As members of the panel they spoke to the heads of states of Liberia and Sierra Leone, intelligence agents of USA, Britain, France, people in all strata of the diamond industry, civil society, press, military and UNAMSIL.
The trial continues Tuesday, January 8 at 9:00 am.
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