The supermodel has admitted to receiving blood diamonds from Charles Taylor.
Naomi Campbell has appeared before the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) on Thursday in the trial of former Liberian president and dictator Charles Taylor, accused of crimes against humanity in The Hague, Netherlands.
The supermodel has admitted that Taylor handed him a bag full of blood diamonds after a party held in South Africa by Nelson Mandela in 1997.
“I was sleeping, someone knocked on my door and I opened. Two men gave me a bag saying: “A gift for you”. I opened the bag the next morning. I saw a few small stones, small stones all dirty, “she said.
Campbell admitted that she had then handed over the diamonds to a colleague asking him to “do something with.” It was then suggested to offer a charity. According to the supermodel, that person would still have stones in his possession.
It is actress and activist Mia Farrow, who said first that Naomi Campbell had received a rough diamond from Taylor, as she was also present at the festival organized by Nelson Mandela. Farrow will also be heard at trial, in addition to the officer Naomi Campbell, Carol White.
Charles Taylor is accused of crimes against humanity for having supplied weapons and ammunition to rebels in Sierra Leone in exchange for diamonds during the civil war, which ran from 1992 to 2002. Taylor has always denied the trade.
Because she feared for her safety, Naomi Campbell tried to avoid testifying against the former dictator, but was forced to appear before the Special Court for Sierra Leone.