By Alpha Abu
A Finnish Court of Appeal has acquitted and discharged a Sierra Leonean named Gibril Massaquoi of all four counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Liberia.
The ruling made on 31st January 2024, has brought to a close, a long running case that first began in March 2020 when Massaquoi, now a resident of Finland, was charged of the crimes by a Finnish District Court.
He was in detention for two years until he was acquitted on all charges by the court on 29th April, 2022. Massaquoi was again brought before the Court of Appeal which also acquitted him last month.
During his trial Massaquoi always maintained his innocence and it became apparent to the court that from 2002 to 2008 he was under round the clock protective custody from the United Nations backed Special Court for Sierra Leone where he served as prosecution witness, and would not have evaded such restrictions to wage war in Liberia and commit the alleged crime within that period as alleged in the indictment.
Washington- based International Justice Group in a Statement issued after the appeals court judgment said it marked “an end to a 4-year Criminal Witch-hunt and welcome the verdict. The Finnish Court of Appeal acquitting Mr. Gibril Massaquoi of all criminal charges levied against him and set him free, to answer no longer to any of those false charges brought against the accused”
Tom Laitinen, Chief Prosecutor in the trial was quoted by IJG as saying “Yes, we are disappointed that we couldn’t convince the court of appeal to overturn the judgment by the district court,” and ‘’that we did everything we could and that we had a fair trial. I can’t name anything specific that went wrong. The evidence we produced just wasn’t strong enough.” But in their position statement, Lawyer Jerome Verdier Sr., a prominent Liberian said “a lie is a lie; there can never be sufficient lies to justify to prove or to establish another lie”
Reacting to the court ruling Massaquoi said to Politico “I am very happy because I told their investigators from day one that I was innocent and it is all proven now that Civitas Maxima and GJRP (groups behind the case) are criminal organizations making money out of the vulnerable people of Liberia”.
Massaquoi served as Spokesperson for the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) during Sierra Leone’s Civil War. As a witness for the Special Court trying accused perpetrators of the conflict, the mostly senior commanders of the rebel outfit were convicted and handed long sentences, which they’re now serving in Rwanda.
Former President of Liberia Charles Taylor is also serving a 50 year jail sentence following his conviction for fuelling the war in Sierra Leone and committing war crimes.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (07/02/24)
