Trial / Charles Taylor

by Alpha Sesay

Court Adjourns For The Day As Defense Lawyer For Charles Taylor Is Indisposed

Today, the Trial Chamber hearing the case of Charles Taylor adjourned for the day because Charles Taylor’s lead defense lawyer, Courtenay Griffiths, was absent in court due to illness. Mr. Griffiths is presently conducting the examination of Mr. Taylor’s witness, Issa Hassan Sesay, the convicted former interim leader of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF).  Mr. Taylor is accused of providing support to the RUF rebel group during Sierra Leone’s 11 year civil conflict.

Mr. Sesay’s testimony continues tomorrow.

45 Comments

  1. I hope all is well with CT lead lawyer Courtenay Griffith, and if memories can served, this court has been adjoined at least twice in recent days regarding his health, and is creating a prolongment in this trial, I hope in the future,his team would have a member ready to step in and continue his work in these suitation, other than that, this is an attempt to delay justice, for the many victims that Charles Taylor’s brutalities affected.

    1. Ziggy Salis,
      It is unfortunate that Courtney Griffiths like everyone else has no control over his health he does not have the ability to foresee that he will be sick when he wakes up in the morning. However while I agree with you that we have now reached a stage where it has become apparent that Mr Griffiths health situation is obviously delaying the trial, I do no think he or the defence team is deliberately doing so. As the trial chamber right concluded in their ruling, Mr Griffiths cannot be blamed for falling sick. However I think the defence will be able to continue their case today either with DCT008 or Mr Munyard will continue the direct examination of Issa Sessay.

    1. Truly some people don’t really know which side to stand as we close in on this trial, but be not deceived for God is not mock. Let your mouth speaks what your mind thinks, order than that you destroy yourself.

      Harris K Johnson

  3. Tracey, Alpha,

    I am kindly asking you all to go beyond the call of duty on Thursday when Naomi Campbell takes the stand. We will need constant updates of her testimony not just a summary way past midnight GMT.

    Please continue the good work !

    1. Aki,
      I read an article on CNN that said the defense of Mr. Taylor filed an emergency motion to delay Ms. Campbell’s testimony on Monday. The defense says it hasn’t seen a copy of her testimony, which interferes with Mr. Taylor’s right to a fair trial. Under tribunal rules, the defense team should get advance access to prosecution witness testimony so it can prepare its arguments. The defense asked the court to decide by Wednesday whether Campbell would testify Thursday.

    1. Aki, in addition to your reference I am pleased to add this portion about the prosecution’s final paragraph in that same article you submitted:”Yet the prosecution has indicated that Sesay’s testimony is not a concern. “We are pleased that Charles Taylor has chosen to rely on Issa Sesay in his defence,” Special Court prosecutor Nick Koumjian wrote in an email. “And we look forward to our opportunity to question him.”
      To me, all this nonsense about Convict Sesay being credible by support group is like a “tale being told by an idiot, full of sorrow and horror, signifying nothing.” We care less how support group thinks Sesay is believable, neither if his testimony is the best since, according to you, he is an “insider” forgeting to know also that an “insider” is most likely going to to be consistent with the lies and deceptions already practiced in the Defense Camp. You guys are doomed, comes BLACK THURSDAY!

      1. Apparently, some of these bloggers can’t comment without calling other blogger names and making threats. It may be signs of frustration and defeat for all of these names calling and threats.However,some of these haters need to learn how to take defeat in thrives and seized this rebel mentality.

      2. Do you expect Mr. Koumjian to say otherwise? Of course not mr. fallah. We all know that Koumjian is an underdog to Perry Mason and excellence defense team in this make up trial.

        Harris K Johnson

    2. Why Nick Koumjian and Brenda wouldn’t do an interview with us like Griffiths but emailing other newspapers. ” Special Court prosecutor Nick Koumjian wrote in an email.” … “And we look forward to our opportunity to question him.”

      I say, they have been having so many opportunities, and what did they do ….. Uuuuhhh NOTHING! My dear American Brother, Nick Koumjian you’ll still do Nothing when your time comes to question Sesay.

      It’s hard to lie, but easy to speak the truth. Paid agent of lies and the “they say” crew vs Non-pay agents with nothing to gain but to say the truth, let us see who the judges will believe.

  5. sir, considering the time mr taylor have spent in detention since he was arrested.assuming he is not found guilty will the court compensate him for all the time he has been in jail?
    thanks and hope to hear from you
    osman
    freetown

    1. Very good question, Osman yarimeh. Provided we find the millions to pay the victims of Sierra Leone, then the rest will go to taylor for his pains and sufferings of false “incarseration” and wait, some of that balanced money will go to support group for insults the have received during the trial. It sounds preposterous for one to worry about what justice is for taylor over justice for those victimized by, alleged taylor’s crimes in the West Adrican Region!

      1. jfallah,
        Are you not ashamed that this one man has challenged the over capitalized prosecution team to prove that he has a dime in any bank as alleged by the like of you, and up to date such million cannot be found? Fallah I thought you were level headed to see beyond the many lies that have been told against this man, but I’m not surprised because you are one of those Africans that worship the actions of the white man even if such actions endanger you survivor. Remember already we Africans are victims of the situation and there is no need to keep fighting each other while the west standby and look as so-called peacekeepers and aid givers.

        Harris K Johnson

        1. wait a minute Harris you don’t sound like you are a brother to fallah. this man is not Liberian nor americo Liberian, to say the least, then how can he be part of you? this is the mentality and arguements that have been delivered here cleverly by support group. Don’t you think fallah reads between the lines? Shame on one who has so little to offer order than whinning . charles taylorites can not stand the heat and are quick to preach brotherly hood to their advantage and cruelty when in power against others, just like taylor has done to the Native liberians ansd Sierra Leoneans, as alleged! Peace Harris!

      2. Fellah,
        i’ve been trying to avoid direct exchange with you.But can i just make it clear,Sierra Leone is no victim to liberian or Charles Taylor.

        We had our civil war in sierra leone and you had your civil war in liberia (provided you are Liberian),we punished the people responsible for our civil war including Issa.I have said this before and i will say it again and again .CAMPAIGN FOR A WAR CRIME COURT IN LIBERIA”leave sierra leone out of this ,we do not want to make enemies with liberians or want to persive liberians as a distabilising factor to our country,because if it is proven that Charles Taylor is responsible for the war in sierra leone it will leave a very bad impression of liberians to us and we will henceforth deal with liberian with suspicion .Liberians are our brothers, we had really bad times in both countries during the civil wars,lots of people looses loved ones,we will like to reconcile and grow together.I am sure you and the people prosecuting Charles Taylor must have supported the South Africa Truth & Reconciliation giving the crimes were evenmore heanous.

        I am not your so call Charles Taylor support,I have never been to liberia and i don’t know too much details of what went on there,but from what i have read it pretty bad,just as bad as ours and if you are a liberian you must have serious grieviances with some of the perpretators as you are expressing against charles taylor.But fellah a court in liberia will be a much appropriately place for that.

        I hope i do not come over offensive to you or cynical ,i am merely trying to explain things as i see them and i’m also taking into consideration the implications of this trial to africa and the sierra leone/liberia relationship.

        Sierra Leone & Liberians are brothers,i think someone is trying to brew tension…..How would they love to see a country vs country war in africa,makes a change from the old civil war.

        1. Cee you do not speak for Sierra Leonean, just for your information except you want to claim spokemanship as of now so I can address you with that honor from now on..because I know who Sierra Leoneans are on this blog..believe it or not! Nice try Cee..jfallahmenjor

    2. Osman Yerimeh,
      We have not seen such a practice in any of the international criminal tribunals thus far. It is argued that if a detention and trial before an international criminal tribunal are justified and safeguarded procedurally, taking into consideration all fair trial standards, then there is no obligation to provide some remedy or compensation to an accused person if he/she is acquitted. Therefore, if Mr. Taylor is acquitted at the end of his trial and he decides to seek compensation for the time he has spent in detention, he’ll have to prove that his detention and/or his trial was/were unlawful or grossly unfair. Mr. Taylor might also need to prove that there was no good faith basis to have detained him and have him face trial in the first place. Note that the judges have already said that he has a case to answer, meaning that there is evidence upon which the case can be conducted and that is why we have the trial going on at the defense stage of the proceedings right now. So, that an accused person is acquitted does not entitle him to automatic compensation for his time spent in detention.

      I hope that this addresses your concerns.

      Alpha

  6. Ziggy,
    Thanks for the kind words, even though I’m not sure if they are sincere, however, we have planted Griffith to reengineer the way Koumjian thinks when it come to the implimentation of the practice of international law. So, I am sorry to say, you guys are stock with the greatest african lawyer for now( COURTNEY GRIFFITH) ..thank you.

    1. My fellow comrades,

      Big B is taking a short break from commenting but with out a doubt the freedom for justice movement will continue.

      Peace!

      1. Big B, there is a saying,”he who runs from battle field will live to see another fight” in other words,”retreat” is that what it is? You need to stay on Big B! Come on! This is the best part of the trial or just call yourself another name on the Blog that has become rampant amongst support group lately. We are keeping keen watch on every move because this trial is going to determine future strategies, Big B. Taylor trial is the turning point of how we are going to conduct business in West Africa next time!..jfallah menjor says so…

      2. Dont Worry Big B, we the other justice lovers are more than capable of holding fort in your absence. We will keep engaging the anti Taylor and pro west people who think they know best.

  7. ken,
    Your article you read on the CNN news is not a good news for the supporters of Taylor.
    The screw is tightening on Taylor. Taylor’s room of maneuvering his way out of paying for the crimes he committed against the peaceful and innocent people of the sisterly republic of Sierra Leone is narrowing by the day.

    1. Morris Kanneh,
      The article I read on CNN was not in support of Mr. Taylor, you are right about that. The only part of the article I thought was creditable was the defense motion on Monday about Ms. Campbell testimony for Thursday. If the prosecution has already taken a statement from Ms. Campbell, the rule is that the defense must see it before she testify. I hope that Alpha and Tracey can give more information about this motion.

  8. Justice loving people, What kind of prosecution is this? they have exculpatory materials with regard to the testimony of Naomi Campbell and deliberately witheld it from the defence until yesterday when they disclosed it to the defence in abject disregard of the rules and procedure of this court. it is clear that the prosecution had materials in their possession which was in contrast to the evidence they want us to believe that Naomi Campbel will come and give in court. The question now is this: what is the point in calling a witness who is evidently going to testify against your case? only Ms Hollis and Mr Koumjian can asnwer that question. For me I think it is best for Ms Campbell to appear before the court to tell us that she did not recieve any diamond from Charles Taylor so that she will become an addiditonal witness for the defence to corroborate Mr Taylor’s evidence although she will be called by the prosecution.

  9. since, nobody is will to say the truth,an looking at the time that Mr. Taylor spend in prison, what will happen if he is not found guity? Please sent me an email to clear my contions on this issue.

  10. Hey Gang,
    Did anyone see the National Geography special about blood diamond from Sierra Leone? It documented the adventure of an individual (Lebanese) who was born and lived in SL for many years, but left as a result of the war. His family had a history dealing in diamonds. Anyhow, the gentleman bought a diamond (approximately 38 carats) for $40K and result it in Europe for $400K (note, rough diamonds are not that expensive, their value increases based on the 4 “C” color, carat, clarity, and cut. As a result of the Kimberly Certification processing–basically the certificate of origination, a fifth”C” is being considered, “Conflict”). After the first diamond deal outside Sierra Leone, he went to Sierra Leone via Liberia. He apparently was given permission to use the so-called Liberian government helicopter flown by Ukrainians. Anyhow, interestingly, the guy bought diamonds from Issa Musa Sessay. He claims that he give Issa $40K and gave Sessay another $50K to leave Sierra Leone. He (the purchaser) went back to Liberia (Lofa) and called Ben Yeatan who sent the helicopter for him.

    This was an interesting piece, I hope it is replayed. This was FYI. I am not insinuating anything other this it was informative.

    1. Excellent piece Charles..we will dig the story up after Naomi’s testimony later..love you Charles..you seem to be true patriot..we need to stay together in this fight against the outsiders! Peace!

      1. Fallah,
        Thank you brother. However, whether I am for or against Taylor being on trial does not diminish or add a knot to my patriotic belt. The point I was making, as earlier said, it was FYI. I was not supporting or defending any party in this thread. Having another person purchase diamonds and travel through Liberia with the assistance Ben Yeaton does not exonerate or implicate Taylor on these charges. My thread was not to implicate or claim CT guilt or otherwise. Again, it was “for your information”. If CT is found guilty or innocent, justice would have played its role. There will always be those who would think he is innocent and others who would subscribe to the notion that he is guilty. In rare cases, there are those who try to be objective and review the facts and evidences and accept the verdict. Again, this group is small and difficult of understand. There are people in almost call instances that would be on either side. For instance, the OJ Simpson trail; some believed that he killed Nichole and Ron Goldman. Yet, there are others who believe that it was a conspiracy against the “Juice” and he was rightly found “not guilty”. Where there are divisions in decisions, fervent supporters cannot be converted.

        Again, that discussion was FYI…it was a neutral thread, maybe to stimulate a discussion. You should try to find it, it was a very interesting piece.

    2. Charles,
      Yes I did see the National Geographic Blood Diamond documentary on DSTV here in Liberia. It was quite intereting.

      1. It was! What fascinated me was the length that people would go to get rich. I guess it’s simple investment 101 “high risk, high return”

        Peace Aki

    3. Charles,
      Please give this evidence to Ms Hollis and Mr Koumjian so that it can be tested in open court. they really need it.

    4. Charles,

      Could you provide the name of the National Geographic documentary and when it was aired?

        1. Noko5
          it’s “lying” not “lieing”. Aki also saw it and he acknowledge seeing it….You know the saying, “lie man will say his witness across the river”, well my is in this forum and acknowledged watching it as well. So Noko5 you will not find this on the channels you watch, you know Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, Nicktoons, MTV or BET. Things are such are usually on more mature channel History Channel, Military Channel, CNN, Discovery Channel etc. you know…oh, you probably don’t. So, your choice of words, “lieing” was very unnecessary! There are better choices—where you might wonder….it’s found in the DIC-TION-ARY Check it out, you might learn a thing or two, including the spelling for “lieing”.

      2. Brenda,
        Are you Ms Brenda J. Hollis of the prosecution or you are another Brenda? Because if you are Brenda Hollis, you are VERY welcome to this blogg!

  11. It is possible for former president Charles G. Taylor to be pleaded not guilty, because all efforts to link him with the RUF of Sierra Leon has been proven unsuccessful. Hope to see in streets of Monrovia Mr President.

  12. Harris K. Johnson,
    Just incase ur comment was directed to me. I still believe that Taylor assisted/lead the murders, of thousands of S.Leoneans. Just because I wished the defense attorney good health does not mean I am ‘not sure’ of what side I stand on. I don’t take this case ‘as’ personal, as you do, that is why I wish another human being despite him defending Taylor good health.
    I hope that clarify what ‘side’ he’s on.
    This is strictly opinion based blogging, not ‘i hate u and wish u death for defending Taylor’.

  13. As the defense questions Ms Campbell, she informsd the judges that yes she did received (2/3) diamonds from two men that night in Sourth Africa, when she open the paper sack and it was two or three small dirty stones.
    She told the judges that when she got down for breakfast while on the table she told Ms Farrow and Mrs White about the gift. The two ladies started to think who must have sent her the gift, then the name Charles Taylor came out. but she did not received any diamonds from Mr Taylor nor did she talk to Mr Taylor about diamonds on the dinner table @ Mr Mendela home.
    Ms Campbell made it clear that she never knew about a country call Liberia or Mr Taylor until that night when an introduction were made.

    The lead prosecutor Ms Holli told the court that Ms Campbell was not their witness, but the court witness and the presiding judge Ms Subtinde cut her off and told her (Ms Holli ) that as far the court knows Ms Campbell was prosecutor key witness and it was upon their request the (prosecutors) that the court subpoenaed Ms Campbell.
    The CNN breaking news reporter @ the court that carry the story, reported that the prosecutor did not get what they wanted out off Ms Campbell, or Ms Campbell did not say that the two men that give her the gift was from Mr Taylor but was stuned by Ms campbell answers to the questions. From Ms Holli tune in court this morning, one can only say that she was very furstrated with the prosecutors key witness.

    My questions,,,,
    As president of Liberia why will Mr Taylor travel from Liberia to South Africa with dirty stones or diamonds?
    Why will Mr Taylor sent three small dirty stones or diamonds to Ms Campbell as a gift?
    I need help on this

    1. 4 ur eyes,
      We have a new Brenda on the blog now so maybe she can help to answer your questions. I was just wondering if she is the Ms Brenda J. Hollis that we all know. If she is she will the person in the best position to answer the questions.

Comments are closed.