US gives $2.5 million more to help pay for Charles Taylor war crimes trial, Rapp says

US gives $2.5M to pay for Taylor war crimes trial

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — The United States is giving an additional $7.5 million to help pay for Charles Taylor’s war crimes trial.

The U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues Stephen Rapp made the announcement Thursday in Sierra Leone’s capital.

Taylor, the former president of neighboring Liberia, is accused of funding Sierra Leonean rebels infamous for hacking off the lips, ears and limbs of their victims. Taylor has denied the allegations.

Rapp, who previously served as Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, said that significant contributions also have come from the UK, Canada, the Netherlands and Norway.

The court relies on voluntary contributions from governments, and Rapp has said the process has been complicated by the global economic crisis.