Naomi Campbell to face war crimes tribunal
Updated on 01 July 2010
Supermodel Naomi Campbell will be summoned to give evidence at the war crimes tribunal in the Hague, over a "blood diamond" prosecutors say she was given by former Liberian president Charles Taylor.
Prosecutors say Campbell was given the diamond by the dictator while she was at a party in South Africa hosted by Nelson Mandela in 1997.
Taylor is being charged over his alleged role in Sierra Leone’s bloody civil war – accused of arming rebels in exchange for diamonds and other riches.
When questioned by ABC News in May, Campbell denied receiving a diamond from Taylor, before storming out of the interview and allegedly punching a studio camera.
The supermodel has so far refused to testify at Taylor’s trial, saying she can provide material evidence to rebut Taylor’s claims that he never possessed rough diamonds.
Prosecutors say modelling agent Carole White heard Taylor say he was going to give Campbell some diamonds, and that she was there when Campbell received them.
The actress Mia Farrow also attended the reception, prosecutors say, and was told by Campbell about the gift the next morning.
Prosecutors accuse Taylor of taking diamonds to South Africa to buy weapons, which Taylor denies.
On trial in The Hague, Taylor denies all 11 charges 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
Prosecutors say Taylor armed and directed Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels to win control of neighbouring Sierra Leone's diamond mines and destabilise its government to boost his regional influence during the country's 1991-2002 civil war.
A spokeswoman in London said Campbell had no comment to make on the ruling at this stage.
Channel 4 News' international editor Lindsey Hilsum said: "It is extremely important in that the diamonds, the blood diamonds, conflict diamonds, they are a central part of this case.
"One of the things that the prosecution is trying to prove is that Charles Taylor got these diamonds illegally and that they were funded through war crimes and activities like that in Sierra Leone.
"If they can convince the court that Charles Taylor did give such a diamond to Naomi Campbell, that could be extremely significant.
"But Naomi Campbell - she denies it, she says she is not going to appear, she is said to be in Russia at the moment. It might be quite hard to get hold of her and make her go to the Hague."
