Taylor’s lawyer storms out of war crimes court

CHARLES TAYLOR’S war crimes trial is ending the way it began — with the former Liberian president boycotting proceedings and claiming they are politically motivated and unfair.

Taylor’s British attorney Courtenay Griffiths stormed out of the courtroom yesterday after judges at the Special Tribunal for Sierra Leone refused to accept his 600-page summary of the case — a key document that distills three years of testimony from the defence’s perspective.

Taylor briefly stayed in his seat but later refused to return to the courtroom after a break.

The boycott was unlikely to have an impact on the outcome of the case. The three international judges ordered the proceedings to continue, and one judge appeared visibly angry at what he called Taylor’s attempt to dictate to the court.

Taylor is accused of arming and supporting murderous rebels in neighbouring Sierra Leone in exchange for illegally mined diamonds. He has pleaded innocent to 11 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, torture and using child soldiers.

His trial marks the first time a former African head of state has appeared before an international war crimes tribunal.

The tribunal, in a majority decision, refused to accept Griffiths’ final brief because it was filed after the January 14 deadline.

Griffiths conceded the late filing, but said rejecting it for being 20 days late, “within the context of a trial lasting three years is, in my submission, totally unreasonable”.