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Prosecutors hoping to nail former Liberian president Charles Taylor for war crimes at a U.N.-backed court have asked judges to subpoena supermodel Naomi Campbell as a witness, reports the Associated Press. In a motion filed Thursday, prosecutors say they want Campbell to testify about uncut diamonds Taylor allegedly gave to her in South Africa in 1997. They say the runway diva told prosecutors through her lawyer that she was “concerned for her safety” and “did not want to involve herself in the case.”
Prosecutors claim Taylor gave arms and ammunition to brutal rebels during Sierra Leone’s civil war in exchange for diamonds. He denies the allegations. The prosecution is also seeking testimony from Mia Farrow, who claims Campbell told her about the alleged diamond gift. Farrow said she and Campbell were both guests at the home of South African president Nelson Mandela, where Taylor was also visiting. She said Campbell described in detail a middle of the night visit from two of Taylor’s men. “She said during the night, some men had knocked at her door and she, half asleep, had opened the door and it was representatives of President Charles Taylor and that they had given her a huge diamond,” Farrow told ABC News. “We were like, ‘oh my gosh.’”
If you ever testify in court, you might wish you could have been as sharp as this policeman. He was being cross-examined by a defense attorney during a felony trial. The lawyer was trying to undermine the police officer’s credibility…
Q: ‘Officer — did you see my client fleeing the scene?’
A: ‘No sir. But I subsequently observed a person matching the description of the offender, running several blocks away.’
Q: ‘Officer — who provided this description?’
A: ‘The officer who responded to the scene.’
Q: ‘A fellow officer provided the description of this so-called offender. Do you trust your fellow officers?’
A: ‘Yes, sir. With my life.’
Q: ‘With your life? Let me ask you this then officer. Do you have a room where you change your clothes in preparation for your daily duties?’
A: ‘Yes sir, we do!’
Q: ‘And do you have a locker in the room?’
A: ‘Yes sir, I do.’
Q: ‘And do you have a lock on your locker?’
A: ‘Yes sir.’
Q: ‘Now why is it, officer, if you trust your fellow officers with your life, you find it necessary to lock your locker in a room you share with these same officers?’
A: ‘You see, sir — we share the building with the court complex, and sometimes lawyers have been known to walk through that room.’
The courtroom EXPLODED with laughter, and a prompt recess was called. The officer on the stand has been nominated for this year’s ‘Best Comeback’ line — and we think he’ll win.
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In a recent interview,
General Norman Schwarzkopf
was asked if he thought
there was room for forgiveness
toward the people who have harbored
and abetted the terrorists who perpetrated
the 9/11 attacks on America .
His answer was classic Schwarzkopf.
The General said, ” I believe that forgiving them is God’s function.
OUR job is to arrange the meeting. ” AMEN