Liberian parliament rejects bill to seize Taylor's assets
MONROVIA (AFP) — Liberian lawmakers have shot down a bill to allow the seizure of the assets of former president Charles Taylor -- standing trial for war crimes -- and his aides, a parliamentary official said Sunday.
Isaac Red, spokesman of the House of Representatives said the proposed bill was unconstitutional.
"The parliament had so many problems with that bill," Red said.
"During a plenary session on Friday, the House of Representatives decided to reject the bill," he said.
Taylor, 59, is the first African head of state to stand trial before an international court for war crimes.
He is on trial for his role in Liberia's back-to-back wars spanning 14 years and a brutal decade-long civil conflict in neighbouring Sierra Leone.
Once one of Africa's most feared warlords, Taylor has pleaded not guilty to all 11 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder, rape and using child soldiers during the brutal 1991-2001 civil war in Sierra Leone.
Around 120,000 people were killed in that conflict, with rebels mutilating thousands more, cutting off arms, legs, ears or noses.
Taylor is accused of arming, training and controlling Sierra Leone's notorious Revolutionary United Front (RUF), responsible for many of the mutilations, in exchange for still-unknown amounts of diamonds used to fund the warfare.
