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WikiLeaks: Charles Taylor may have $400 million out of reach

Charles Taylor, the former Liberian president, could have as much as $400 million hidden away out of reach of prosecutors, according to leaked US diplomatic cables.

US officials were told that if Mr Taylor is found guilty of war crimes, the international court in The Hague might only be able to recover a fraction of his wealth.

On Friday judges in The Hague adjourned indefinitely the three-year-old trial of Mr Taylor on charges of arming rebels who killed and maimed Sierra Leone citizens.

Instead of closing it, as scheduled, Mr Taylor's lawyers were granted leave to appeal an earlier decision refusing the late filing of a defence document.

A leaked cable sent from US officials in the United Nations in October 2007 reported the concerns of Stephen Rapp, who was the Special Court for Sierra Leone prosecutor at time, about Mr Taylor's alleged missing millions Mr Rapp is now President Barack Obama's Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues....

Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)