S Leone: Special Court gets $6.5 million

  1. Posted on Sunday 19 April 2009 - 07:00
    Murtala
    Image of Murtala
    Murtala Mohamed Kamara, Africa News reporter in Freetown, Sierra Leone
    The Special Court for Sierra Leone announced that it has received $6.5 million in new contribution out of the $28 million it budgeted for this year and it is expected that the money will enable the trial of Liberia's former President Taylor. The court forecasted that its funding will run out in April this year.
    gavel
    Commentators earlier predicted that former President Taylor who is standing trial on 11 counts at the UN backed court might be set free because of the lack of funding.

    Stephen Rapp, Special Court Prosecutor told IRIN on the lack of funding that "I could have the best evidence in the world, I could have the strongest advocacy, but if we ran out of funds, the court might have to let the accused go. You can't hold them if you don't have the resources to finish the trial. I don't want that to happen."

    The Court Registrar who will be taking up his new assignment in a similar court for Lebanon, Dutch born Von Hebel, assured that other contributions are expected to come this year.

    The court has recently served longer jail terms to senior Revolutionary United Front Leaders for their role in the country’s civil war whiles Taylor remains the only accused standing trial in The Hague out of the others.

    The Special Court for Sierra Leone was created by an agreement between the government of Sierra Leone and the United Nations to try those their bear the greatest responsibilities in the Sierra Leone civil war after the Lome accord.

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