Taylor's notorious cohorts in Ghana ?

According to an article in the Washington Post, several of Taylor's most notorious cohorts have settled in Ghana. Among them are his son Chuckie and his security chief, Benjamin Yeatan. A sources also said the senior Taylor was behind an attempted coup in Burkina Faso earlier this month.
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By Douglas Farah Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, October 23, 2003; Page A24

Suspected Aide to Liberian Exile in U.S.

The alleged chief paymaster for the notoriously brutal government of former Liberian president Charles Taylor has entered the United States --despite being banned from international travel by the United Nations -- and is living in California.

Talal Nassereddine, described by U.N., U.S. and European investigators as a key link in the lucrative and illicit diamonds-for-weapons trade in West Africa, was located several days ago by U.N.officials, who notified U.S. law enforcement.

Spokesmen for both the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI declined to comment yesterday on how Nassereddine entered the United States despite being on the U.N. travel ban list since June 2001.

A person answering Nassereddine's telephone in Laguna Niguel, Calif., confirmed that he was there but said he did not want to be interviewed. Nassereddine's attorne! y, Tony Lapham, said his client is a U.S. citizen who entered the country "recently." He would not say how Nassereddine came to the United States but said he had committed no crime.

It is not clear that the travel, while breaking a U.N. mandate, violated U.S. law. But a Virginia lawmaker who has closely followed events in Liberia expressed outrage.

In a letter sent yesterday to FBI Director Robert S.Mueller III, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and other senior administration officials, Rep.Frank R. Wolf (R) urged that "appropriate" action be taken immediately against Nassereddine.

"The thought of him living in California while the suffering continues in Liberia is distressing," said Wolf, who chairs an Appropriations subcommittee that oversees FBI finances.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Wolf said he was "shocked and angry" to learn that Nassereddine is in the United States, especially because Nassereddine was handling money for Taylor when there werev credible reports that Taylor was selling diamonds to al Qaeda.

"I view this as a very serious matter," Wolf said.Taylor, who is under indictment for crimes against humanity by a U.N.-backed special court, stashed more than $100 million abroad while his nation remained one of the poorest in the world, according to diplomats and U.N. investigators. Faced with a growing revolt after six tumultuous years in office, Taylor fled to Nigeria in September.

Much of his illicit wealth came from "blood diamonds," mined illegally by rebels he trained and armed in neighboring Sierra Leone. Those rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) gained international notoriety for hacking off arms and legs of civilians and abducting thousands of children into their ranks.

According to U.N. investigations and intelligence reports, Nassereddine was at the heart of virtually all of Taylor's illicit transactions involving diamond sales and the purchase of weapons.

A December 2000 U.N. report called him Taylor's "inner-circle paymaster" and said, "Liberians fighting in Sierra Leone alongside the RUF and those bringing diamonds out of Sierra Leone were paid by him personally."

The report said arms merchants negotiated directly with Nassereddine, who sought out foreign business executives and investors who would be "willing to cooperate with the regime in legitimate business activities as well as in weapons and illicit diamonds."

No charges have been filed against Nassereddine. Lapham said his client "is very aware of the allegations against him and categorically denies each and every one of them."

Earlier this week, a bipartisan group of 26 members of Congress sent a letter to Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, urging them to pressure the Nigerian government to turn Nassereddine's former boss over to international authorities.

"If we fail to bring men like this to justice, how can! we expect similar atrocities not to occur in the future?" the letter said. "We urge you do to all you can to have the Nigerian government hand Charles Taylor over to the Special Court for Sierra Leone to stand trial; otherwise, he may someday return to power in Liberia."

The request came after weeks of persistent reports that Taylor was continuing to run Liberia from exile, including managing government financial transactions for his own benefit. Earlier this month, the Nigerian government formally warned Taylor to stop his constant cell phone contact with cronies there or face an end to his asylum.

Several of Taylor's most notorious cohorts have settled in Ghana, according to diplomats and investigators. Among them are his son Chuckie and his security chief, Benjamin Yeatan. The sources said the senior Taylor was behind an attempted coup in Burkina Faso earlier this month.

Last week, the Senate added language to the State Department appropriations bill th! at would pay a $2 million bounty to anyone who turns Taylor over to the court.