Special Court for Sierra Leone judges today ordered prosecutors to disclose to the defense all new documents that they intend to use in the cross-examination of former Liberian president Charles Taylor who is responding to charges that he was involved in a joint criminal enterprise with rebel forces who waged an 11-years rebel war in Sierra Leone.
In delivering the Chamber's ruling, presiding judge Justice Richared Lussick said that the prosecution's "piecemeal disclosure of individual documents" was unacceptable.
"This cannot be allowed to continue and the Chamber needs to set out a disclosure regime," Justice Lussick said.
Today's order came in the wake of Monday's decision by the judges in response to prosecution's request to use "new evidence" in the form of documents to impeach Mr. Taylor's credibility as a witness in his own defense. In the decision, the judges ordered that documents which are meant to impeach the credibility of Mr. Taylor can be used by the prosecution without the need to disclose the documents to the defense. These documents will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, the judges ordered. The judges further ordered that all documents which have probative value to the guilt of the accused must be disclosed to the defense before they could be used by the prosecution in cross-examining Mr. Taylor.
When cross-examination resumed this morning, Mr. Taylor's defense counsel objected to the use of a bundle of bank documents which prosecutors sought to cross-examine Mr. Taylor on in order to establish that Mr. Taylor was not truthful in his direct-examination about various bank accounts which he is alleged to have had before his detention by the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Mr. Taylor's defense counsel said the team had not been given sufficient time to study the bank documents. Mr. Taylor's defense asked to be given until Monday to study the documents. The judges granted the defense application.
Lead prosecutor Ms. Brenda Hollis, addressing the judges, agreed that to avoid further misunderstanding of the judges' order, all documents, whether intended for use to impeach Mr. Taylor's credibility or to point at Mr. Taylor's guilt will be disclosed to the defense.
Addressing all the parties, Justice Lussick made the following orders:
"1. All such documents should be disclosed to the defense by close of business day on Tuesday, and
2. Prosecution should give 24 hours notice to the defense of documents it intends to use for cross-examination on a particular day."
Mr. Taylor is on trial for his alleged role in supporting RUF rebels who waged an 11-years rebel war in Sierra Leone. Crimes committed by the rebels ranged from amputation of civilian limbs, to rape, recruitment of child soldiers and murder. Mr. Taylor is accused of involvement in a joint criminal enterprise with the RUF rebels. He has denied all the allegations against him.
Mr. Taylor's cross-examination continues on Monday.
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Another set back for the prosecution team. The judges see that the prosecution has tried to abuse the recent ruling allowing them to bring in new evidence even though their case has been closed. To the Ttahs, handjbe2 etc. You no longer have unindicted war criminals George Bush and Tony Blair calling the shots at the Special Court. If this court is a court of justice and not politics the outcome is clear.
Aki,this is a court for justice,that is why the judges have ruled that any new documents that the prosecutors wishes to add,must be viewed by the defense lawyers.George Bush and Tony Blair,are free from war crimes,other wise they would've been indicted by the International Criminal Court in the Hague.
Aki, the clock is ticking on your man. It's time for him to enter the dock in London.We will visit him in London.He told the world that he doesn't have any bank accounts. Why is his defense not allowing the prosecutors to forward what they have on hand?
Hi Aki, Where have you been? Sleeping, or drinking sour palm wine in some village in Liberia?
I really love what Justice Lussick said to the Prosecutors about disclosing all new documents to the Defense that they intend to use against Charles Taylor. Aki, do you know what means? It means the Judge is giving the Prosecutors the upper hands to bring in more proofs to nail your Daddy Taylor. The prosecutors are not abusing the justice system, they are doing their job. Do you think Taylor will ever walk out of that court a free man? Unless there is no God. I don't really know what is your connection to Charlie, but believe me, Taylor was already a criminal before he even became a rebel leader in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Anyone who supports a criminal is also a criminal indeed. Be very careful what you have to say about Tony Blair and George Bush. Did Bush and Blair steal money from their Governments? These are men who served their country with dignities.
I also want you understand that George Bush is my former Commander In Chief, and I was very happy the day Bush said " Charles Taylor must Leave".Just that one sentence led Your buddy Taylor to Nigeria. If Taylor had refused that order, Believe me, I was going be one of the U.S.Marines' Team Leaders to enter Monrovia and drag Taylor to the Hague. Keep supporting him, his days are numbered!!!!
handjbe2,
Why are you fighting for the United States instead of your country Sierra Leone. This is why although I disagree with Ttahs I respect him for staying to defend his country. The two biggest war criminals are your former commander in chief George Bush and secondly Tony Blair. If Taylor had decided to stay in liberia there was nothing you could have done about it. He wanted peace this is why he left. I guess you want to blame him for the troubles in Guinea right now also.
Aki,just a point of correction. I'm not ttahs.Registered pseudo;AgentX44,promoted after Taylor admitted that he did support RUF rebels in Sierra Leone.Another promotion will come when Taylor is in the dock for just 150 years,which will make him 212years old,from 2010.If he serves all and live,he'll be oldest former African president and the oldest man in the world.I'll ask the angels of Liberia to spare him such time so that he can eat and drink his own body fluids.
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