SPECIAL COURT PROSECUTOR BIDS FAREWELL
By Marian Samu

The Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, Mr. David Crane, has taken formal leave of His Excellency, President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah at his Hill Station office in Freetown.

Mr. David Crane who took up appointment as Prosecutor since the inception of the Special Court in 2002, said he will not be renewing his contract which will end in July this year. The Prosecutor told President Kabbah that it was with mixed feelings he is leaving especially at a time when Sierra Leoneans are seeking justice, and assured the President of his continued interest in the work of the Special Court.

President Kabbah said that he admired Mr. Crane for the professional manner in which he discharged his responsibility and expressed hope that Mr. Crane will be always prepared to give any assistance to the court.

The President said that the coming in of Mr. Crane as Prosecutor at the time he did was crucial as he derived a lot of reassurance about the justice system in the country as there was nothing like the rule of law in Sierra Leone then. The war years, he said, caused people to commit crimes with impurity, thinking that nothing would come out of it.

Unlike other countries that have gone through conflicts and still had a reasonable percentage of their infrastructure intact, President Kabbah said the Sierra Leone situation is different in that the rebels destroyed the infrastructure of the country, including schools, hospitals, roads, private and public buildings to the extent that the country was left bare and in ruins.

On the issue of Charles Taylor, President Kabbah said that a lot of people have been wondering why he has not been putting pressure on President Obasanjo to get him handed over to the Special Court. He explained that the decision President Obasanjo took at that time to give asylum to Charles Taylor was in the interest of the sub-region. Charles Taylor, he said, had threatened to go back to the bush and restart a guerilla warfare when pressure was being piled on him to step down. Considering the fragility of peace and security at the time and the repercussion on Sierra Leone if a new war were to break out with Charles Taylor in the bush, he decided to leave the Nigerian leader to use his best judgement.

President Kabbah, however, expressed hope that with improvement in peace and security in Sierra Leone and with the Liberian elections over towards the end of the year, things will change and Charles Taylor will definitely be brought before the Special Court.

Mr. Crane expressed appreciation for the support given to the Court by the government and people of Sierra Leone, and particularly the position of the President to stay far away from the work of the Court, which ensured the independence of the court and gave credence to his work. The people of Sierra Leone, Mr. Crane said, have expressed great support for the international criminal justice system and the Special Court. The Prosecutor told President Kabbah that he respected his position on the Court, but affirmed his belief that Charles Taylor will very soon be handed over to the Special Court.

Mr. David Crane also stated that he would want to ensure that the peace process moves forward and with the collaboration of the ECOWAS member-countries and the International Community, he said he was sure that the Court will achieve its objective. He also praised the European Parliament for their stance on ensuring that Charles Taylor be brought before the Special Court for a fair trial.

President Kabbah thanked Mr. Crane for his work with the court adding that the Court will leave a legacy not only in terms of the infrastructure that has been built but also the development of an institution that will address justice and provide an enhanced penal system.

UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE ENDS MISSION

In another engagement the UNHCR Representative in Sierra Leone, Mr. Musa Abiriga, has also taken leave of the President. Mr. Abiriga briefed President Kabbah on achievements realised during his tenure of office and the excellent working relationship he enjoyed with the government and people of Sierra Leone since he took up assignment here in June 2003.

Mr. Abiriga said he has been providing assistance to displaced people and facilitated the repatriation of Liberian refugees. As more areas have now been declared safe in Liberia, he hoped that the repatriation of the Refugees will continue to its conclusion.

President Kabbah thanked Mr. Abiriga for all that he did for the country and wished him well on his return home.

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