VZCZCXRO3353
OO RUEHPA
DE RUEHFN #0143/01 0611259
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 021259Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY FREETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0834
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0225

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 FREETOWN 000143 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2017 
TAGS: KDEM KJUS PGOV PREL UNSC SL
SUBJECT: SCSL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE REVIEWS COURTS OPERATIONS 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Thomas N. Hull for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  (C) The Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) Management 
Committee (MC) traveled to Freetown February 18-22 to meet 
with SCSL staff to discuss the Court's Completion Strategy 
and budget, ongoing concerns about identifying adequate 
sources of voluntary contributions to sustain the Court, the 
status of preparations for the Charles Taylor trial in The 
Hague, personnel concerns, legacy issues, and best practices 
to maximize Court efficiency. The Committee emphasized the 
necessity of finalizing a three-year budget based on a 
comprehensive Completion Strategy that sets benchmarks for 
finishing the Court's work. The Committee also heard from 
staff regarding morale issues, particularly related to the 
leadership of the Registrar, and evaluated implementation of 
recommendations from the Cassese report. Recurring themes 
throughout the meetings included concerns about limited 
resources and the consequent adverse effect on Court 
operations, and the lack of communication amongst Court 
officials. Court officials presented a budget of nearly $37 
million for 2007, the largest to date, stating that 
preparations for the Taylor trial in The Hague had increased 
costs significantly. END SUMMARY. 
 
MC RECEIVES UPDATE ON COURT OPERATIONS 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C) SCSL Management Committee members traveled to 
Freetown February 18 - 22 for meetings with Court officials 
on the Court's operations, finalizing a Completion Strategy 
and budget, reviewing morale issues related to the job 
performance of Registrar Lovemore Munlo, legacy and personnel 
issues, and preparations in The Hague for the June 4 
commencement of the trial of former Liberian President 
Charles Taylor. The Committee also met with GOSL officials to 
discuss legacy issues and continuing GOSL support for the 
Court. PolOff participated as the USG representative. Court 
officials briefed the MC on the status of trials and ongoing 
preparations for the Taylor trial in The Hague. GOSL 
officials, including Vice President Berewa and Attorney 
General F.M. Carew, pledged their continuing support for the 
Court, but expressed reservations that the Government would 
have the capacity to maintain the facility once the Court 
completes its mandate. AG Carew acknowledged the utility of 
the Court. He noted that many Sierra Leonean lawyers had 
received training while working at the Court, and the Court 
had helped restore peace and showed that impunity would not 
be tolerated. 
 
COMPLETION STRATEGY AND ACCOMPANYING BUDGET ARE A MUST 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶3.  (C) MC members stressed the importance of preparing a 
comprehensive notional three-year budget to complement the 
revised Completion Strategy to map out a clear timeline for 
finishing the Court's work. They said it was vital that there 
be clarity, and the Court should provide narration and graphs 
showing reductions in staffing and costs as the Court moves 
closer to completing its mandate. Court officials were 
receptive and assured the MC it would receive a completed 
budget document for CY 2007, 2008, and 2009 by the March 5 
deadline. Court officials presented a budget of nearly $37 
million for 2007, the largest to date and an increase of 
nearly $10 million over the previous year's budget. Court 
officials said this figure included all the recommendations 
from the Cassese report with budget implications. It also 
captured additional expenses incurred, fees and travel for 
Judge Cassese and additional funding to cover the expanded 
role and duties of SCSL President Gelaga King, who now 
resides in Freetown. Court officials said they had not had 
time to complete budgets for CY 2008 and 2009 and were unable 
to give estimated figures for those years. 
 
REGULAR FINANCIAL UPDATES NEEDED 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) The Management Committee noted it had difficulty 
getting an adequate and accurate picture of the Court's 
finances and requested the Registrar provide a detailed 
financial chart and narrative the first week of each month 
that explicitly describes the Court's spending and budget 
projections. The Committee emphasized the need to show donors 
that the Court is winding down its operations and reducing 
costs and staffing. Registrar Munlo said financial reports 
had been provided bi-weekly in the past but had been 
discontinued. 
 
OTP BRIEFING 
------------ 
 
FREETOWN 00000143  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶5.  (C) During the meeting with the Office of the Prosecutor 
(OTP), Prosecutor Stephen Rapp reported his office had 
finalized the Charles Taylor prosecution team, but because 
the Taylor case was essentially three cases in one, he would 
need additional staff. He said pre-trial briefs and potential 
witness summaries were due on April 4, and there could be 
60-70 live witnesses. He said his office had filed a motion 
to use video teleconferencing for some of the witnesses to 
reduce costs, and there would be a ruling soon. He also said 
his office would reduce staffing significantly in 2008 and 
2009, but expressed concern his office would not be 
sufficiently staffed to handle appeals if guilty verdicts 
were returned in the CDF and AFRC trials. He also voiced 
concern about budget implications for long-term protection of 
witnesses and said one of the greatest challenges the Court 
will face will be judicial management of time. 
 
JUDGES VOICE CONCERNS 
--------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C) The Court's judges expressed grave concern about lack 
of resources and staffing and accused the MC of holding up 
justice by being unresponsive to requests for additional 
resources. They complained they were at a disadvantage when 
writing judgments due to inexperienced staff and limited 
resources, and resented the fact they must continuously look 
over their shoulders to see if there is enough money to do 
their job. The Management Committee responded it had not been 
made aware of many of the judges, concerns until last 
September when it had approved additional resources for the 
judges, and much of what the judges were saying was news to 
them. They reminded the judges the Registrar bears the 
responsibility for allocation of resources. 
 
¶7.  (C) The judges also accused the MC of only allocating 
resources after Charles Taylor was apprehended, and as a 
result, the other detainees had not received fair treatment. 
They asked the MC to not interfere with the administration of 
justice by withholding resources. The MC responded it had no 
intention of interfering with the Court's work. 
 
¶8.  (C) The judges also felt the independent assessment 
conducted by Judge Antonio Cassese was too far reaching and 
had violated judicial independence. They were particularly 
unhappy with Cassese's assessments of ongoing cases, 
something they claimed was unprecedented and an obvious 
violation of judicial jurisprudence. The MC explained other 
tribunals had conducted independent evaluations, which had 
produced helpful recommendations. The MC thought this would 
be useful for the SCSL as well. The MC acknowledged that 
fiscal constraints caused by voluntary contributions put 
considerable strains on the Court, and after reviewing the 
timeframes for writing judgments proposed in the Completion 
Strategy submitted in August 2006, the MC realized that the 
Court clearly needed more resources, which it had approved. 
 
¶9.  (C) In a separate meeting with the Chamber II judges who 
will hear the Taylor case in The Hague, the judges raised 
concerns about the timing of an appointment of an alternate 
judge, the time that they will be allotted to move to The 
Hague, and their remuneration package while posted in The 
Hague. They argued that an alternate judge should be 
appointed in time to participate in every aspect of the 
trial, including all pre-trial activities. The MC assured 
them it was moving forward in a timely fashion on the 
appointment and would most likely make a selection by mid 
March. The judges also voiced concern about their salaries 
while they are posted in The Hague. They argued they will be 
hearing a very important case, but will be the worst paid 
judges in The Hague, and do not want to be humiliated. The MC 
explained they will receive their base salary, but not the 
Daily Living Allowance (DLA), which they receive in Freetown. 
The MC said it had given careful consideration to this issue 
and had actually discovered that by using the UN conversion 
rate for Euros to dollars, the judges, pay would be more 
than what they receive in Freetown. The MC promised to 
revisit the issue if for any reason the judges ended up 
receiving less pay. 
 
¶10.  (C) The judges also disagreed with President Gelaga 
King's decision to finish the CDF and AFRC judgments in 
Freetown before moving to The Hague. They argued that the 
Taylor trial would be pushed back if the judgments took 
longer to write than expected. They said they could both 
deliberate and run a trial if they were in The Hague. They 
also said they needed time to settle in The Hague, and a 
mid-May departure date would be too late for them to become 
acquainted with technical equipment and support staff, and 
develop a relationship with the ICC. 
 
OPERATIONS IN THE HAGUE 
 
FREETOWN 00000143  003 OF 003 
 
 
----------------------- 
 
¶11.  (C) In the meeting with the Working Group on the Charles 
Taylor trial, Deputy Registrar Herman von Hebel said Court 
Management currently had one coordinator on-site overseeing 
operations in The Hague. He said the Court had secured office 
space and a location for witnesses and was focusing on the 
Court's considerable Information Technology needs. According 
to von Hebel, witness issues loom large, particularly 
considering the numbers. Acquiring travel orders, passports, 
and visas will require considerable resources. He said visas 
would be handled through Accra, and the Court would identify 
a process of how to deal with high-profile witnesses. 
According to von Hebel, the Netherlands would assume 
financial responsibility for security for the judges and 
buildings in The Hague. 
 
¶12.  (C) The Personnel Office told the MC there would be 99 
SCSL staff in the sub-office in The Hague, 17 of whom will be 
security personnel under the ICC MOU. The MC voiced concern 
about the staffing numbers, particularly since it seemed that 
the numbers had increased from previous estimates. 
 
PRINCIPAL DEFENDER REQUESTS MORE FUNDING 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶13.  (C) Principal Defender Vincent Nmehielle told the MC 
that his office was still under-funded, and the office's 
expertise was not being effectively utilized by Defense 
counsel teams. He said it often appeared his office had been 
reduced to the role of managing finances, such as vetting 
bills submitted by defense counsels. During the meeting on 
the completion budget, Court officials said they had 
implemented Cassese's recommendation of full support to the 
Defence and had increased the Defense's operational funding 
for 2007 by $753,700, or 23 percent, as compared to the 
previous year's budget. 
 
REGISTRAR'S LEADERSHIP IS QUESTIONED 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶14.  (C) The MC heard repeated complaints about Registrar 
Lovemore Munlo's leadership and was particularly appalled at 
his handling of the announcement to staff of the death of Sam 
Hinga Norman, one of the Court's more well-known detainees 
indicted for war crimes. Hinga Norman had been flown to Dakar 
for hip replacement surgery, and died on February 22 from 
complications following the surgery. Munlo provided no 
assurances to staff regarding their safety or guidance as to 
how the Court would handle this unforeseen crisis. 
 
¶15.  (C) In the meetings that both Munlo and Deputy Registrar 
von Hebel attended with the MC, the communication gap between 
them was marked. The MC also was surprised by information 
gleaned from their meetings that clearly showed the Registrar 
was not passing along pertinent information to the MC on 
pressing issues. Many staff told the MC there was little 
communication from the Registrar on how the Court would begin 
to reduce staffing levels, which heightened staff's 
apprehension levels. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶15.  (C) The MC's visit exposed a number of glaring problems 
with Court operations, particularly in the offices of the 
Registrar, Principal Defender and Security. In this critical 
period, it is uncertain if Court officials will be able to 
meet the MC's request and put together a clear and concise 
notional three-year budget and accompanying Completion 
Strategy by March 5. The Court has yet to show how it will 
draw down operations, which will hinder securing additional 
voluntary contributions to sustain operations. Leadership 
issues continue to impair operations. The Registrar is 
unwilling to accept any responsibility for criticisms leveled 
at him in the Cassese report. It will be imperative for 
President King to assert his leadership to begin to address 
many of the issues confronting the Court. END COMMENT. 
HULL