Sierra Leone: Swiss freeze assets of Liberian leader Taylor’s associates

Acting on a request from the Special Court for Sierra Leone, Switzerland has frozen some $1.5 million in the bank accounts of two persons linked to embattled Liberian President Charles Taylor, the Swiss justice ministry said today.

The move to freeze some 2 million in Swiss francs follows last month’s request by the Freetown-based Special Court investigating war crimes in Sierra Leone, which triggered the Swiss Ministry of Justice’s order that all bank accounts belonging to Mr. Taylor, his relatives and close associates be scrutinized and the assets frozen or blocked.

The request to block assets was made pursuant to the original war crimes indictment and arrest warrant issued against Mr. Taylor on 7 March – and unsealed on 4 June – which requests countries “to identify and to locate assets owned by the accused located within the territory of any State and adopt provisional measures to freeze such assets.”

Mr. Taylor is charged with “bearing the greatest responsibility” for war crimes, crimes against humanity and serious violations of international humanitarian law” in Sierra Leone since 30 November 1996, at the height of that country’s brutal 10-year civil war.

The Court’s Deputy Prosecutor, Desmond de Silva, welcomed the announcement and praised the assistance the tribunal has received from the Swiss authorities. “We have got to penetrate the walls of concealment that this indicted war criminal has thrown around his looted wealth,” he said.

In other news, yesterday the Special Court denied a request by lawyers representing former Revolutionary United Front (RUF) leader Foday Sankoh for a stay of proceedings in his trial until the Court had completed a full psychiatric and physiological examination of him.

The equipment necessary for the examination is not available in Sierra Leone, and a UN travel ban on Mr. Sankoh is still in place. A psychiatrist who had made a preliminary examination of Mr. Sankoh in March described him as “catatonic” but could not make a complete diagnosis as to whether the indicted suspect is competent to stand trial.

Also yesterday, the Court denied a request by lawyers representing another suspect, Alex Brima, for bail, as well as a writ of habeas corpus, claiming that Mr. Brima’s detention is unlawful.

The Special Court, created through an international agreement between the United Nations and Sierra Leone, is mandated to try those who bear “the greatest responsibility” for atrocities committed during the country’s civil war.