Naomi Campbell is in Paris today, helping Louis Vuitton show off the fly case they made to carry this year’s World Cup to South Africa, where the FIFA tournament will take place… Pop the hood for more shots of her flossin’ at Louis Vuitton headquarters and the latest on her involvement in the war crimes trial against former Liberian President Charles Taylor
It still hasn’t been determined whether or not “Blood Diamond Naomi” will have to testify at Charles Taylor’s trial, but yesterday Taylor’s lawyers formally opposed calling her as a witness in the trial, calling the request “a publicity stunt”. Details below:
Prosecutors earlier this month filed a motion seeking to have Campbell subpoenaed to testify about claims Taylor gave her “blood diamonds” at a reception in South Africa in 1997.
But Taylor’s lawyers said the evidence was “tangential to the real issues” against Taylor and said prosecutors were trying to introduce it too late in the trial – 15 months after they closed their case.
“For the prosecution to present such inferential evidence at this advanced stage, as part of an obvious publicity stunt, would bring the administration of justice into serious disrepute,” Taylor’s British lawyer Courtenay Griffiths wrote to judges.
Prosecutors say Campbell’s testimony would provide “direct evidence of the accused’s possession of rough diamonds from a witness unrelated to the Liberian or Sierra Leone conflicts.”
Taylor is charged with 11 counts of murder, torture, rape, sexual slavery and the use of child soldiers and terrorism in his role backing rebels in Sierra Leone’s 1991-2002 civil war.
It is unclear when judges will rule on the prosecution request.
Both Mia Farrow and Carole White, who were at the same reception as Taylor and Campbell, have provided written statements to the court about Taylor giving Campbell diamond. Should be interesting to see how this turns out, but is it really necessary for Naomi to testify? Shouldn’t there be plenty of evidence against this guy already?
Naomi got dressy for today’s Louis Vuitton press conference, but kept it casual to visit LV director Antoine Arnault at the company’s headquarters yesterday. Which do you prefer???
WENN and SplashNews
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