Naomi Campbell Subpoenaed in War Crimes Trial
War crimes tribunal will force model to talk about 'blood diamond' gift.
July 1, 2010 — -- Naomi Campbell will be subpoenaed to testify about uncut "blood diamonds" she allegedly received as a gift from former Liberian President Charles Taylor, judges for the ex-warlords war crimes trial said today.
Campbell has thus far refused to testify in the case against the ex-warlord Taylor though prosecutors say her testimony goes to the heart of their case.
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If she fails to appear as ordered, the court can find her in contempt. A date has yet to be set for her to appear at the trial.
"We are happy with the decision and we will proceed in accordance," Chief Prosecutor Brenda Hollis told ABC News from The Hague where the high profile case is being tried.
The super model's name first surfaced in the trial in January, when prosecutors introduced information from Mia Farrow about a 1997 dinner at Nelson Mandela's home. According to Farrow, Campbell told her that Taylor's men had given her a "huge diamond" in the middle of the night.
In the wake of an ABC News report on the alleged "blood diamond," Campbell's former agent Carole White revealed to prosecutors that she was present when Campbell received several diamonds from Taylor that night.
White's lawyer, Daniel Bright, told ABC News that White overheard Taylor telling Campbell at the dinner that he wanted to give her diamonds. Later, according to Bright, when the representatives of Taylor came to the guest house in the middle of the night they threw pebbles at the windows. They hit White's window with the pebbles and she reluctantly let them into the house. White allegedly then watched the men give about a "half-dozen" uncut gems to Campbell.
According to Bright, White remembers Campbell being disappointed with the stones, since she had not expected them to be uncut. Bright said that White claims she convinced Campbell to dispose of the stones the next day, and that she gave them to an unnamed third individual.
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