Liberia: Witness tells Finnish Appeals Court EX-RUF Commander, Massaquoi left Liberia in 2001

MONROVIA – Witnesses have told the Finnish Court of Appeal in Monrovia that a Sierra Leonean accused of war crimes and aggravated crimes against humanity, including murder and rape, has not been in Liberia for a year prosecutors say he committed the crime.

Called by the prosecution and defense lawyers, “Defense 9,” also claimed to be Sierra Leonean Gabriel Massaquoithe former commander of Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was in his home country in 2001.

He told the Court on Monday that Mr. Massaquoi took him to Liberia between 2000-2001 to be a caretaker for a guest house, Charles Taylor, the President of Liberia at the time, had given to RUF soldiers, including Sam Bockarie, Issa Saysay and Kenneth. McCauley, who came to Liberia on a “diplomatic mission.”

“Charles Taylor is the host because he supports the RUF rebels in Sierra Leone,” Defense 9 said.

In April 2012, the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone convicted and sentenced Taylor to 50 years in prison for supporting the war in the country.

2001 was one of the years prosecutors alleged that Massaquoi was in Liberia and committed atrocious crimes. 2002 and 2003 were the other years.

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Although the Pirkanma District Court decided in April 2022 that the prosecutor did not prove Mr. Massaquoi’s accusation beyond “doubt,” he still made arguments on appeal – bringing witnesses he believed would help him prove that the Court had wrongly decided against him by acquitting him. Mr. Massaquoi. As they did in the District Court, Mr. Massaquoi’s lawyers argued on appeal that he was in Sierra Leone when the crime was committed, informing the Special Court.

Defense 9 seems to have done what he said, linking Mr. Masaquoi to no crime, even though he said he was never on the front line. He said Mr. Massaquoi, Bockarie, Saysay, McCauley and one Abdul Razak, who often travel to Lofa to fight the rebels from Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy. The witness said the rebels were between the borders of Liberia and Guinea.

But Defense 9 said in 2001, Mr. Taylor told him that the international community had found him a host, so he asked him to leave Liberia.

The witness said that although he made several personal and mission trips to Liberia for the Special Court, he never met Mr. Massaquoi in Liberia.

The trial continues on Tuesday.

Coverage of the appeal of Massaquoi’s release is a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the West African Justice Reporting Project.