As the trial of the former president of Liberia Charles Taylor continues, the prosecution’s 20th witness, Mustapha Mansaray, has told the Special Court for Sierra Leone meeting in The Hague that Sam Bockarie and Issa Sesay sold cacao and coffee from people’s plantations in Kailahun to Guinean traders to buy arms, ammunition, and food.
He also told the court how the RUF captured UN peacekeepers and how Issa Sesay took them to Liberia.
The prosecution had ended its examination-in-chief. And the defence continued with its cross-examination yesterday.
Earlier the Judges had ruled against the prosecution on the motion asking to keep confidential three prosecution and one defence documents which they submitted during cross examinations as the witnesses TF1-36 was a protected witness who testified in closed session.
In his application prosecuting lawyer Mohamed Bangura, to prevent the court’s Registry from making four exhibits from Witness TF1-362’s testimony public, said if that happened it would go against the court’s rule concerning protected witnesses.
Mr Bangura said the exhibits showed items like a signature that would show a link with the witness.
The defence team for Charles Taylor objected to the motion to keep the four exhibits confidential as defence lawyer Morris Anyah said the “prosecution is late with its application”.
He told the court that the motion should have come before the witness took the stand. Mr Anyah added that if the court shielded the exhibits from the public, it would violate the right of the former Liberian president to a public trial.
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