Naomi Campbell admits receiving pouch of blood diamonds
Entertainment
Naomi Campbell admits receiving pouch of blood diamonds
British supermodel Naomi Campbell, testifying at the war crimes trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, said on Thursday she had been given a pouch containing blood diamonds while in South Africa in 1997. Prosecutors summoned Campbell to support their allegations that Taylor received blood diamonds from rebels in Sierra Leone and used them to buy weapons during a 1997 trip to South Africa. Taylor has denied the allegations as nonsense. He is charged with 11 counts of instigating murder, rape, mutilation, sexual slavery and conscription of child soldiers during wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone in which more than 250,000 people were killed. He denies all the charges. Campbell told the court she had been woken up by two men who knocked at her bedroom door while on a visit to South Africa, gave her a pouch and said to her: A gift for you. She then put the pouch beside her bed and opened it up the next morning. During questioning by Chief Prosecutor Brenda Hollis, Campbell initially answered before the questions were finished, prompting the judge to ask her not to do so. At one point, following another interruption, Hollis asked the model if she was nervous. No, well I didn't really want to be here but I was made to be here so obviously I am just like wanting to get this over with and get on with my life. This is a big inconvenience for me, Campbell responded. Campbell had initially refused to testify, leading the court to subpoena her. A subpoena is a legal measure used to gain testimony from an unwilling witness on the threat of a fine or imprisonment. During the proceedings Campbell was also asked why she hadn't tried to find out who the gift had come from. It's not abnormal for me to get gifts, I get gifts given to me all the time, at any hour of the the night, sometimes to concierges without notes of who they are from so it is quite normal for me to receive gifts, she said. Taylor's lead defence lawyer Courtenay Griffiths has argued that Campbell's evidence is entirely based on conjecture, stressing in court filings that Campbell has previously denied publicly ever receiving a diamond or diamonds from Taylor. Miss Campbell, I certainly don't want to inconvenience you more than you have been inconvenienced already and I mean that quite sincerely, Griffiths said ironically as he began cross examining Campbell. Campbell said in court she had recounted the incident at breakfast to actress Mia Farrow and modelling agent Carole White and that one of the two said it was obviously Charles Taylor', so she guessed it was. An explanation Griffiths regarded as speculation. Griffiths also asked whether Campbell knew at the time whether Liberia was a diamond producer. I'd never heard of Liberia ... at that time, Campbell said prompting Griffiths to reply, Many people haven't until you turned up today. Campbell's presence in the war crimes trial Thursday sparked the attention of the international media. Citing concerns for her security, the 40-year-old supermodel won a court order barring journalists from photographing or filming her arrival and departure from the courthouse. She was, however, filmed while giving testimony and was wearing a cream-coloured outfit and a choker necklace with her hair tied in a bun. Defence lawyers for Taylor tried to delay her testimony, arguing the ex-Liberian president's right to a fair trial was being denied because they had not seen her full intended statement. Late on Wednesday, the court dismissed the defence motion so that Campbell's testimony could go ahead as planned. Prosecutors had said Taylor -- accused of receiving the diamonds from rebels a month before his trip to South Africa -- gave Campbell a large rough cut diamond after a dinner hosted by Nelson Mandela. Prosecutors plan to call White and Farrow to the stand next Monday. The prosecution says White had heard Taylor say he was going to give Campbell a diamond and was there when she received it, while Farrow attended the reception where Campbell met Taylor and was told later by Campbell about the gift. Carole White, currently has a court case against Naomi Campbell. It's someone I trusted and worked with and it's someone I know longer trust and no longer work with, Campbell said as Griffiths questioned her about White's intentions. When Griffiths said White had a powerful motive to lie about her, Campbell replied, Correct. The court has granted one of Campbell's lawyers a limited right to intervene on whether to allow questions for Campbell if she could incriminate herself by answering them.
