IPNEWS-MONROVIA: The stage was set for the transfer of alleged war Crimes inductee Gibril Massaquoi to Monrovia early next week from a Finnish court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Now the government of Liberia, says it has no knowledge of just War Crimes Court excepted to open here in Monrovia.

Over the last three weeks, there had been intense lobby by self-styled war advocate Hassan Bility, and his NGO backed financial support to circumvent recommendations of the Truth Reconciliation Commission (TRC), to ending Liberia’s war atrocities.

The government of Liberia in a statement today in Monrovia, has disapproved the decision to set up the WAR CRIMES COURT in Monrovia next week.

The statement by the government Of Liberia, comes barley 24hrs after former TRC Commission Cllr. Jerome Vardier issued a strong worded statement that there was maneuvering and manipulation behind the scenes, in concert with Hassan Bility and some international actors to stage manage War crimes court advocacy in Liberia, by process that remotely established a court outside of Liberia to deny Liberians true justice.

In all this, the Minister of information, Ledgerhood J. Rennie stated that the ‘Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Justice, has not made any decision which grants approval for the setting up of a War Crimes Court in Liberia, as has been speculated in some quarters’.

Minister Rennie however cautioned Liberians that the establishment of any legal institution to seek Justice for the war and economic crimes court,
Must initially be agreed upon by the members of the Legislature.

Minister RENNIE also stated that the trial of RUF war criminal Mr. Gibril Massaquoi currently on trial in Finland is base upon Justice Ministry Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) agreement subsisting between the Republic of Liberia and the Republic of Finland which allows for cooperation in criminal investigation and the prosecution of accused persons.

Explaining details of the agreement, he added that: “Finnish Judges – including prosecution and defense counsels – will be coming to Liberia to take statements from witnesses for an ongoing War Crimes Trial in Findland”, and not opening a war crimes court as being alleged in the public.

However the the Liberian Solicitor General Cllr. Sayma-Syrenius Cephus has emphasized that the Liberian Goverment is not a party to the trial in Finland, and has neither given a permission for the setting up of a War Crimes Court in the country.

Meanwhile, the International Justice Group (IJG) has sharply criticized and condemns Hassan Bility and all those in the corridors of justice advocacy, especially advocacy for the establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court for Liberia (W&ECC) who are using the advocacy platform for personal, selfish, and political gains.

“There is nothing more dangerous and criminal like the commission of war crimes itself, than profiteering on the backs of the victims of war crimes in Liberia; Without justice, Liberia will never be peaceful again and the establishment of a War and Economic Crimes Court in Liberia is the way to go…”, Cllr Jerome J. Verdier, Executive Director of IJG and Chairman of the Erstwhile TRC of Liberia said in a statement released over the weekend.

Finland War Crimes Trial – A Distraction:

The statement released out of the US Capitol in Washington DC went on to describe ongoing efforts to prosecute, Gibril Massaquoi, ex RUF rebel commander from Sierra Leone based on a ‘crescendo of lies and unfounded allegations’ of war crimes committed in Liberia as falsely claimed by Hassan Bility and cohorts in Switzerland is a serious distraction from the quests of all Liberians for justice for Liberian victims of the war through the establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court in Liberia.

The statement further condemns all of those in and out of the Government of Liberia (GOL) who are maneuvering and manipulating behind the scenes and working with these profiteers and some international actors to stage manage war crimes court advocacy in Liberia by a process that will remotely establish a court outside of Liberia to deny Liberians of true justice.

The IJG position, the statement said, remains firm and settled for the establishment of the War Crimes Court for Liberian,especially victims in Liberia and not in Finland or any other remote venues, consistent with the Recommendations of the TRC of Liberia and the Resolution of the United States Congress (HR 1055) sponsored by Congressman Chris Smith and reaffirmed recently by the Deputy Speaker of the Liberian House of Representative, Cllr J. Fonati Koffa, as the surest guarantee that those innocently accused will be set free and the guilty once will face justice and suffer punishment.

Witness Protection is important to Criminal Prosecution:

Verdier said in the statement that witness protection is important to any successful war crimes prosecution because the protected witness is an insider who gives detailed inside and reliable information that the prosecution would not have otherwise acquired without the cooperation of the protected witness.

The statement said that Gibril Massaquoi is a protected witness under the Witness Protection Program of the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) which successfully prosecuted former Liberia Former President Charles Taylor on War Crimes and related serious charges to protect human rights, save lives, guarantee justice, and restore peace to the entire West African subregion and Africa as a whole.

“ To falsely accuse such a witness, to recruit and bribe paid agents to produce false testimonies against such a witness who committed no crimes in Liberia for pecuniary benefits on the backs of Liberian victims who are still yearning for justice is the worst thing anyone can do and doing so in the name of advocating for justice is worse than the war crimes we have put our lives on the line to prosecute. It is a moral and deadly sin against the nation and people of Liberia…” Verdier emphasized.

Such an immoral stance Cllr. Verdier believes sets a bad precedence for justice in Liberia and seeks to undermine the witness protection program for Liberia, ahead of the establishment of the War & Economic Crimes Court for Liberia.

Verdier” “WILL NEVER HAPPEN”, protected witnesses in Liberia will forever remain protected and the IJG will spare no efforts, in protecting the protected status of Mr. Gibril Massaquoi, a former rebel fighter and patriotic citizen of the Republic of Sierra Leone who did not fight war in Liberia, had no reason to fight war in Liberia and committed no atrocities in Liberia as alleged by his tormentors in the Finland Jurisdiction.

TRC Extensive Work in Liberia:
The statement went on to say that the TRC of Liberia combed the entire territory of Liberia for five (5) doing its work in Liberia and documented testimonies, investigated and documented war crimes, serious international human rights and humanitarian law violations committed in Liberia and not even once, was Gibril Massaquoi identified or alleged to be a perpetrator of violence or crimes in Lofa County or any other parts of Liberia; the TRC conducted hearings and documented statements from witnesses and victims throughout Lofa County and not once was the name Gibril Massaquoi ever mentioned.

The statement wondered “… and finds it ludicrous that 12 years after the close of the TRC work in Liberia and 18 years following the end of the war in Liberia that witnesses will now prop up in numbers against a single individual (who happens to be a protected witness against President Charles Taylor of Liberia) who is not in any way identified in the over 70 actors in Liberia from RUF and Sierra Leone named in the TRC of Liberia Report. So than, Mr. Massaquoi was the lone ranger who crossed over to Liberian territory in a solo effort just to commit war crimes in Liberia, against the people of Liberia for very personal reasons by his one-man army – ridiculous! The IJG statement said.

There were RUF Sierra Leonean across in Liberia – not Gibril Massaquoi:

The IJG statement went on to further averred that the TRC of Liberia documented over 100 foreign mercenaries and rebel fighters in Liberia from different countries including fighters of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) of the Republic of Sierra Leone and not once did the name of Gibril Massaquoi pop up.

Moreover, the statement said based on the work of the TRC, it was realized that most of those fighters from Sierra Leone RUF who crossed over into Liberia did so for transactional purposes, to consult with former President Taylor and receive operational instructions, frontline details and information as well as logistics and equipment, included frontline RUF rebel commanders like Samuel Sam Bockarie who was executed in Liberia.