|
In the trial of former Liberian president Charles Taylor in The Hague , the Prosecution on Tuesday pointed out several inconsistencies in the testimonies and written statement of Defence Witness, Yanks Smythe. The witness denied in his testimonies that NPFL used child soldiers, but his written statement to the Defence Team presented a different story. John Kollie works for the BBC World Service Trust and has this transcription from The Hague ….
Mr. Smythe rejected most of the provisions of a written statement from an interview conducted with him by the Defence in June 2009. The witness termed most of the statements as misrepresentation of what he told the Defence in his interview. Mr. Smythe’s statement read on cross-examination by the Prosecution reviewed his association his with Charles Taylor from Libya , to Burkina Faso and then to Liberia . The witness said in his testimonies that he never fought at the frontline for the NPFL. But Mr. Smythe’s written statement revealed a different story. The Defence Witness consistently denied that the National Patriotic of Liberia, the NPFL had a unit called Small Boys Unit, or SBU. Mr. Smythe said SBU was a name invented by Generals of the NPFL for orphans who lived with them. Prosecution Lawyer, Nicholas Kumjian reminded the witness that he told the Defence something different regarding the SBU. He also testified that he first met Charles Taylor in 1987 at the Mataba, the Libyan Guest House built for revolutionaries. Mr. Smythe denied ever meeting Mr. Taylor outside of the Mataba. Prosecution Lawyer, Nicholas Kumjian read Mr. Smythe’s written statement which painted an entirely different picture of his meeting with Mr. Taylor in Libya . Mr. Smythe has ended his cross-examination. Defence Lawyer, Morris Anyah immediately started the re-direct examination clarifying with the witness some of the issues in the Prosecution cross-examination. |
