Mid-Morning Session: Cross-Examination of Witness Dauda Fornie (DAF) Continues

12:00pm: Court resumed and defense counsel Terry Munyard continued the cross-examination of former RUF signal commander Dauda Fornie, aka, DAF. Counsel continued seeking inconsistencies in the witness’s oral testimony and his written statements to the prosecution.

Vehicles Used By Bockarie to Liberia

Defense counsel referenced witness’s statement that he accompanied Bockarie to Liberia onboard two jeeps. When testifying in court, the witness said they traveled in a hilux van. The witness told the court that during his interviews, they had not asked him to describe the vehicles that they used on this trip but he meant to say they used one Toyota Hilux and one Toyota Lancruiser. Counsel asked the witness why he failed to make the necessary corrections during his prepping sessions and the witness said he did not pick up the mistakes.

Bockarie’s Satelite Phones

Counsel referenced the witness’s statement that Taylor gave Bockarie a satelite phone in 1998. The witness responded that Taylor gave more than one phone to Bockarie in order to ease communication between them as well and Yeatan, as well as to give him access to the international media.  Counsel told the witness that in all his interviews, there is no mention of Taylor giving Bockarie more than one phone. The witness said that he might have said so in one of his statements. He said that one of the phones was a motorola hand phone and the second one was a land sat phone. He said another phone was given to Bockarie in late 1998. Asked why he had not said so in his statements, the witness responded that he was not asked about the number of phones Bockarie received from Taylor. The witness agreed with counsel that Bockarie also spoke with the ECOWAS chairman on the phone. Counsel asked the witness to explain how ECOWAS leaders were facilitating peace talks with the RUF. The witness said that he could not remember the sequence of events leading to the peacetalks.  Counsel asked the witness whether he recalls that Taylor gave Bockarie the satelite phone in his capacity as part of the ECOWAS leaders seeking to bring peace to Sierra Leone.  The witness responded that when Taylor gave Bockarie the phone, it was long before the peacetalks were initiated.  The witness described the size of the satelite phone and the position where Bockarie used to put it when he wanted signal to communicate.

RUF Radio Communication Codes

Counsel referenced the witness’s statement that RUF codes were changed regularly and that they were written in small pocket books. He asked the witness whether he recalls saying he used to take new RUF codes to Sunlight in Monrovia and the witness said yes.  Counsel quoted the witness’s written statement that the codes were taken to Sunlight in a large note book. Counsel asked the witness why he hand changed it to small sized note book. Prosecution counsel objected on basis that the witness had said in an exercise book, not a note book.  The witness responded that he never said the codes were taken in large books, neither written on a piece of paper. Defense counsel suggested to the witness that he probably did not have much to do with radio codes since he was just a mere monitor. The witness disagreed with counsel.  Counsel suggested to the witness that the codes were probably given to him by other people but the witness disagreed with counsel, sighting the fact that the code books even bore his signature. Counsel told the witness that the different accounts he has given show that his memoray has faded a gread deal but the witness disagreed with him.

Monies Given to Bockarie by Taylor

In his oral testiomony in court, the witness said that Taylor used to give monies to Bockarie. Defense counsel asked him why he had not said so in his interviews. The witness said that it is because they did not ask him about that. When asked about the amount of money given to Bockarie by Taylor, the witness said that the amounts used to vary. He said that sometimes when Taylor gave Bockarie a hige amount of money, he would tip those of them moving with him either $100 or $50. The witness said that he might have told the investigators the amounts given by Taylor to Bockarie but they probably did not write it down.  When asked whether he told investigatirs that Bockarie used to give him tips of $100 or $50, the witness said he had several interviews and cannot recall whether he said so precisely. Counsel asked the witness whether he was saying so because he had heard other witness talk about the same thing in court but the witness said he had no idea if other witnesses had said so.

Bockarie’s Trip to Burkina Faso, via Liberia

Counsel asked the witness to tell the court who Pa. Rogers was. The witness said Pa. Rogers was the Chairman of the RUF War Council, which was later renamed the Peace Council. Counsel asked the witness whether he was part of the trip that departed Buedu for Liberia and subsequently went to Burkina Faso. The witness told the court he was part of the trip. When asked about those that went to Burkina Faso, the witness said that he stayed in Liberia while Bockarie, Pa. Rogers and Eddie Kanneh left for Birkina Faso. When asked how long the three men took in Burkina Faso, the witnes s said he could not recall. He said that when the three men returned from Burkina Faso, they met him in Liberia and together with other RUF members, Jungle and Zigzag Maazah, they all returned to Sierra Leone.  He said while the men were in Burkina Faso, Bockarie called and told him that they had met with Blaise Campaore, president of Burkina faso.  When asked whether he knew where the ment stayed in Burkina Faso, the witness said they did not tell him about that. He also said the men did not show him any pictures of where they stayed in Burkina Faso.  He said when Bockarie called him from Burkina Faso, he told him they had got the materials that they went for.

The witness explained that the trip was originally planned for Libya but when they got to Liberia, Yeaten told them that the trip had changed to Burkina Faso where they would get the materials they were to go to Libya for.  Counsel asked the witness whether he was sure that he made the trip with these men to Liberia and the witness said he did.  Counsel asked the witness whether he was sure that Bockarie did not call him while he waited in Buedu and the witness responded that Bockarie did not carry a radio set with him and so he could only call via phone. The witness said that was why he had to wait at Yeaten’s place so that Bocakrie would call him on the phone there.  Counsel referenced the witness’s statement that when Bockarie and others made this trip, the shipment of materials came from Libya and landed at Roberts International Airport in Liberia. The witness clarified that the aircraft was from Libya but it collected the materials from Burkina Faso and flew with them to Liberia.

Court adjourned for lunch break.

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