Trial of Taylor delayed until Jan

THE HAGUE – Judges yesterday postponed until January the war crimes trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor on charges of directing atrocities in Sierra Leone after his defence asked for more time to prepare.

Taylor, accused of instigating murder, rape and mutilation in a quest for diamonds during the West African country’s civil war, boycotted the opening of his trial in June in a dispute over the resources allocated to his defence, prompting weeks of legal wrangling and repeated delays. More funds were eventually made available to Taylor with which a new defence team was appointed last month.The team requested a delay until January to prepare the case.”In the chamber’s view, the period of four months is indeed a reasonable time …to grapple with a complicated case,” said Judge Julia Sebutinde, who noted the prosecution had not opposed the request for more time.Taylor’s chief defence counsel Courtenay Griffiths said: “We are anxious to get on with this trial.We appreciate the accused has spent a considerable amount of time in custody and we appreciate that there are other pressures on this court.Judges agreed and granted the four-month postponement.Taylor attended the hearing, wearing a double-breasted grey suit with gold cufflinks.Griffiths said there were some 40 000 pages of material submitted by prosecutors to be examined, and a further 50 000 pages of material from Taylor’s personal archives had surfaced in Monrovia which could be crucial to the case.Nampa-ReutersMore funds were eventually made available to Taylor with which a new defence team was appointed last month.The team requested a delay until January to prepare the case.”In the chamber’s view, the period of four months is indeed a reasonable time …to grapple with a complicated case,” said Judge Julia Sebutinde, who noted the prosecution had not opposed the request for more time.Taylor’s chief defence counsel Courtenay Griffiths said: “We are anxious to get on with this trial.We appreciate the accused has spent a considerable amount of time in custody and we appreciate that there are other pressures on this court.Judges agreed and granted the four-month postponement.Taylor attended the hearing, wearing a double-breasted grey suit with gold cufflinks.Griffiths said there were some 40 000 pages of material submitted by prosecutors to be examined, and a further 50 000 pages of material from Taylor’s personal archives had surfaced in Monrovia which could be crucial to the case.Nampa-Reuters