It has been reported by the Associated Press that on July 6, 2008, the Special Court for Sierra Leone trying former Liberian President Charles Taylor in The Hague has granted him (Taylor) more money to enable him take care of his defense.

	• Mr. Charles Taylor

The court trying former Liberian president Charles Taylor for war crimes committed in Sierra Leone has again raised the amount of money he receives to pay for defense attorneys, a court official said Friday.

Taylor, charged with backing rebels who murdered, raped and mutilated thousands of Sierra Leoneans during the country's 10-year civil war, will receive a package worth some $100,000 (€73,500) per month, said Special Court for Sierra Leone acting registrar Herman von Hebel.

The package includes $70,000 (€51,500) per month for a legal team. He also gets a senior investigator and office space in The Hague, Sierra Leone and Liberia. "It is almost three times as high as the other cases at the special court and (up to) two times higher than at the Yugoslavia tribunal," Von Hebel told reporters in The Hague.

Taylor's trial is being staged in the Netherlands because of fears it could trigger renewed violence in Sierra Leone if it were held there. Ancient and tenacious, the custom of feuding isolates Albanian families6 die in attack on U.S. post in Turkey Sarkozy says he will raise human rights issues with China at Games

Taylor plunged the start of his landmark trial into turmoil last month when he fired his lawyer and boycotted the opening day, complaining he did not have enough money to fund his defense. At the time, court officials said they would raise his monthly lump sum payment to $45,000 (€33,000) to allow Taylor to hire a more senior attorney.

Taylor is entitled to receive the money because the court has ruled he is indigent, meaning he cannot pay for his own defense, despite prosecutors and United Nations experts suggesting he has millions of dollars stashed in bank accounts around the world.

"We believe there are tens of millions," said prosecutor Stephen Rapp.
Taylor is believed to have enriched himself by taking a cut of lucrative contracts for timber and other resources in Liberia. Prosecutors also accuse him of funding the Sierra Leone rebels in part to get his hands on the country's diamonds.

Investigators are working to track down Taylor's alleged loot. If it is found and can be linked directly to him, the court has the power to make him pay back money he has been given to fund his defense. Taylor's new defense team is expected to be in place in time for his trial's scheduled resumption on Aug. 20.

Meanwhile, the trial of the former president continued yesterday in The Hague with witness Jabati Jaward continuing his testimony. According to the Trial Website, the witness testified about Sam Bockarie’s departure from Buedu to Liberia when he fell out with Sankoh.

He explained the trip to Liberia and the various fighters, senior officers and civilians that left with Bockarie for Liberia. The witness also spoke about how they were informed that Bockarie is no longer a member of the RUF. According to him, those of them who followed Bockarie were later recruited into various arms of the Liberian security forces.

Witness and some of his colleagues were recruited into the Anti Terrorist Unit(ATU), where the witness rose to the position of Captain. The witness testified about his various responsibilities in Liberia how Sam Bockarie later left Liberia and how himself and some of his colleagues were taken out of Liberia and landed in Burkina Faso.

During the session, he was made to identify a photo which he said was Sam Bockarie’s house in Buedu. He identified the store where he said arms and ammunitions were kept and the room which he said housed the radio communication set.

Apart from that, the witness spoke about Bockarie’s visits to Liberia and the radio communications he had with radio operators in Liberia.

The witness spoke of the arms and ammunition which were supplied to Issa Sesay for the capture of Kono from ECOMOG forces. The witness was shown a document which listed supply for arms to Issa Sesay. Legal arguments ensued over the witness’s statement that he had not see the document before but could identify the items listed on it.

GOL Vows To Curb Down Criminal Activities

The Justice Ministry in Monrovia has called on the general public to go about their normal businesses as the government is doing everything to curb the growing wave of criminalities in the country.

They Ministry assured all Liberians that its remains committed in providing the necessary security protection for its citizens and foreigners alike as enshrined in the constitution of Liberia. The Justice Ministry made the disclosure yesterday in a press release signed by its Public Affairs Director Mr. Charles M. Matasley.

The ministry was strongly reacting to the front page story of the National Chronicle Newspaper Wednesday July 9,2008 edition volume 12, No.89 captioned: As Blood Floats with parts missing: Monrovia not safe at Night. Attributed to the Solicitor General of Liberia Cllr. Tiawan S.Gongloe.

In its reaction, the Ministry termed the publication as a complete distortion of facts with the intent to incite the public against the government and lead them into believing that the government is incapable of providing protection for its citizens.

The ministry said the Solicitor General statement was only offering a word of caution to the public to be mindful of traveling at late hours of the night for their own security as the criminals could take advantage of their vulnerability to harm them.

The ministry says that does not mean in anyway that the government was incapable of protecting its citizens as been misconstrued by some media institutions.

The Solicitor General the ministry maintained made the statement in good faith been fully aware of the constitutional responsibility of government to provide security and guaranteed the freedom of movement of its citizens.

The ministry of justice therefore assured all Liberians that its remains committed in providing the necessary security protection for its citizens and foreigners alike as enshrined in the constitution of Liberia and called on the public to go about their normal businesses as the government is doing everything to curb the growing wave of criminalities in the country.