CHARLES TAYLOR’S lead counsel in his war crimes trial in The Hague stormed out of court after angry exchanges with the judges.
Courtenay Griffiths, a London barrister, walked out of proceedings after judges refused to accept a written summary of the former Liberian president’s defence at the end of his trial.
Mr Griffiths defied judges' orders to stay in court, saying his actions were a protest at the court's conduct since the Guardiannewspaper published a story based on WikiLeaks cables in December, which he believed revealed a witch-hunt against Mr Taylor.
“I have been led to believe that some of the judges might have made their minds up a long time ago, even before proceedings begun,” Mr Griffiths said. “I cannot allow myself to be used to give credibility for a totally unfair set of circumstances. This is not a question of personal anger, it is a point of principle. This is not how a criminal trial – particularly one of this gravity – should be run.”
Cables from the US embassy in The Hague stated the US government wanted “to see Taylor is put away for a long time”, and would consider putting him on trial in the US if he were acquitted in the current proceedings.
Mr Taylor’s defence team responded with a motion stating the cables revealed political interference in the court.
Mr Griffiths said the court’s failure to deliver a ruling on the motion resulted in a delay to the defence filing its final brief, which was submitted 20 days late.
On Monday, the three-judge panel rejected the brief, with the only African judge dissenting.
Yesterday morning, Mr Griffiths walked out, arguing the court’s decision to reject his brief was unfair. “Against the interests of justice, the court is not going to look at our closing brief, even though they have got it,” said Mr Griffiths.
“I’m not going to sit in court listening to arguments from the other side pretending that two of three judges are listening when they are not even going to look at submissions in front. What’s the point of me wasting my breath in court?”
Asked what would happen now, Mr Griffiths said he would appeal against the decision immediately, but would not be returning to court.
There has been a series of dramas at the trial of Mr Taylor, the first former African head of state to be tried by an international court.
Last year model Naomi Campbell was summoned to give evidence, amid allegations that she had received a “blood diamond” from the former Liberian leader, which prosecutors said proved Mr Taylor’s connection to the conflict in neighbouring Sierra Leone.
Mr Taylor, who has pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder, torture and using child soldiers, has cast himself as a statesman who tried to pacify west Africa.
– (Copyright: Guardian News Media 2011)