Half the money needed this year for the court trying former Liberian President Charles Taylor on war-crimes charges has been raised, the prosecutor in the case said on Tuesday.
Taylor is charged with overseeing a campaign of terror, murder, mutilation, rape and enslavement in neighbouring Sierra Leone’s 10-year civil war. The trial is expected to start on June 4 in The Hague, The Netherlands.
The Special Court for Sierra Leone, which is trying Taylor and other alleged human right violators in the civil war, has raised about half of its $33-million budget for 2007, Rapp said.
In the Taylor case, there is enough money to ”take us through the opening statement of the trial,” Rapp said, adding that he was confident the rest of the money would come through.
Taylor has pleaded innocent to 11 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the killing and mistreatment of thousands of people in Sierra Leone. He faces a life sentence if convicted.
The charges stem from Taylor’s alleged arming and training of rebels in Sierra Leone during the later years of their insurgency.
The Sierra Leone requested that the case be moved to The Hague for fear the former warlord’s trial could provoke unrest in West Africa.
Taylor was flown to The Netherlands in June and is being held in a cell block operated by the International Criminal Court.
Rapp said met in New York with diplomats from Britain and The Netherlands, which have helped fund the court in the past, and other countries. He did not give details on the meetings, but said he was optimistic the court would raise enough money.
”We’re confident that we can, as we continue the effort, obtain the resources needed to do this trial and to make it a model of international justice,” Rapp said.
Last year, the United States provided $13-million for the court. Rapp said he met last week with members of the US Congress and the State Department, but was not sure if the United States would provide similar funding this year.
US officials did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Expenses include transporting witnesses to The Hague, security, translations and hearings in Sierra Leone, Rapp said. They could vary depending on the number of witnesses needed, but are expected to decrease after the first year, he said.
Last week, Taylor’s lawyers told the court they needed more time to prepare his defence. Rapp said he expected the trial to begin June 4 as planned. – Sapa-AP