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Sierra Leone: Taylor Had $5 Billion in U.S. Banks - BBC Blunder?
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Concord Times (Freetown)
OPINION
9 May 2008
Posted to the web 9 May 2008
Olusegun Ogundeji
Freetown
While still considering the various concerns and objections raised by the ongoing trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor in The Hague, including its impact on the current political and justice situation in Liberia and Sierra Leone as well, British Broadcasting Corporation, or BBC as it is commonly known, gave us a shocker on Friday.
The acclaimed world's largest broadcasting corporation reported that last Friday, Head Prosecutor at the Special Court for Sierra Leone, Stephen Rapp stated that former Liberian President Charles Ghankay Taylor controlled about five billion dollars held at two US banks during his presidency.
Though Rapp was not in town to confirm the report, his Special Assistant Jeremy Waiser took his stead to clarify things.
"BBC did not report it accurately properly. BBC said Mr. Taylor had an account with about $5 billion. That is not what the Prosecutor said and that is not what we believe," he said.
Waiser explained that it was recently discovered -'in the last few months'- that Charles Taylor operated two accounts in the US as Rapp was said to have mentioned at a press conference in the Liberian capital Monrovia.
He however said that the BBC reporter erred along the line; that the reporter does not seems to understand that it is the transaction that took place back and forth in the accounts in the last few years that totaled about $5 billion and not the actual amount in the accounts.
"There was never a $5 billion though we have seen evidence to suggest that a total of $375 million was taken out of one of these accounts. The account was closed in December 2003. We can't say exactly where the money went. It may be to another account in the US or elsewhere," Waiser said.
"It is possible that money from this account and other accounts has been spread around the world in banks and safe havens," he added.
What is the purpose of finding the money at this point in time when the former Liberian leader has not been pronounced guilty? Waiser responded by saying it will do them a little good.
"Though we can't get the money even if found now until we get the judgment. We hope to follow the trail of the money for further links and many countries have been cooperating with us." Waiser reiterated Rapp's earlier statement that they are still tracking Taylor's money for a possible reparation and reimbursement of defence team's charges. He cited that if the money was confirmed stolen, either through illegal dealings in diamonds from Sierra Leone or taken from the Liberian treasury while serving as president, such recovered money will be used for compensation or returned to where they were stolen.
"If we can find where this money is and where it is taken from, we'll like to return it to where it came from and then compensate those who suffered during the war." When Taylor's defence team was asked if they have any objection to Rapp's $5 billion claim, Logan Christi Hambrick wrote in an email that: "The recent comments by the Prosecutor in this regard are definitely a concern to the Defence team, and we are meeting as a team this (Wednesday) afternoon to discuss our response." Hambrick promised to get back to the writer as soon as he gets clearance from their Lead Counsel on the matter.
The Charles Taylor trial is the first of its kind for an African head of state to be tried by an international tribunal as we have in the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone.
Virtually everything about international tribunal is new to Africa. BBC should lay a good precedent for many local journalists in terms accurate reporting as their reception goes far and wide.
It is quite understandable when Mr. Peter Anderson, spokesperson for the Special Court of Sierra Leone, always decline to give local journalists information on phone, citing inaccuracy on the parts of the reporters.
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Another issue of keen interest is how to grapple with what could possibly be the response of Sierra Leoneans and Liberians by the time the verdict of the trial would have been read - and the likely aftermath effect it would have on the two countries' relationship.
Inaccuracy on the part of BBC is not the best practice for a renowned media institution in the ongoing trial of Charles Taylor at this point in time if enough room is not being created for suspicion - that is if we are to consider the magnitude of the case and the perception that Britain has been anti-Taylor all these while.
Taylor was transfered for trial in The Hague due to his influence in the region as well as fears that his trial could spark renewed violence. He has denied all 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
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