The appeal verdict against the 50- year- jail sentence of former Liberian President Charles G. Taylor is due next year, the Chief Prosecutor of the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone, Madam Brenda Hollis, has disclosed.
It can be recalled trial judges found Mr. Taylor guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes in Sierra Leone and subsequently sentenced him to a 50-year- prison term.
However, his defense team termed the decision by the trial judges as excessive and announced an appeal before the appeal chamber of the Special Court.
The Prosecution, on the other hand, said it is considering appealing against the verdict because Mr. Taylor deserves more prison sentence.
Speaking Tuesday, June 12, 2012 when she addressed the Special Edition of the Edward Wilmot Blyden lecture forum at the University of Liberia (UL) main campus on Capitol Hill, Monrovia, Chief Prosecutor Hollis said the appeal chamber's verdict will be based on whether the defense team of former President Taylor or the prosecution can prove that there was an error in the trial judges' verdict.
She stressed that the appeal chamber could either increase, withhold or reduce the 50-year- jail sentence imposed by the trail judges if the prosecution and the Defense can establish fault in the ruling of the trial chamber.
Following the outcome of the appeal case by the appeal chamber, the chief prosecutor said the president of the Special Court would determine where Mr. Taylor would serve his prison term.
She said the determination of the Court's President would be based on agreements between the Special Court and countries that have offered to host Mr. Taylor [as a prisoner].
According to Madam Hollis, only the United Kingdom, based on an agreement with the UN-backed Special Court, has offered to host Mr. Taylor [as a prisoner].
But she expressed optimism that at the end of the year other countries will agree to host him [Taylor] as a prisoner.
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