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Liberia orders assets frozen
20/10/2004 11:09 - (SA)
Monrovia - Liberia's Justice Ministry began freezing the assets of people regarded by the United Nations as close associates of exiled former President Charles Taylor, who is wanted by a war crimes court in Sierra Leone.
The United Nations alleges some of the assets were used to fuel past conflicts in West Africa.
The first two people targeted on Tuesday were the former commissioner of the Bureau of Maritime Affairs Benoni Urey and Emmanuel Shaw, who served as finance minister in the 1980s and is regarded as Taylor's friend.
The two men are currently top officials of Liberia's most powerful Mobile phone company, the Lone Star Communications Corporation.
Indicted by war-crimes court
"There is evidence available with the Ministry of Justice to proceed to freeze the assets and economic interests" of Urey and Shah, a statement issued by Justice Minister Kabineh Janneh said.
Janneh is a founding member of the main Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy rebel group, which shelled Monrovia for several months last year, forcing a peace deal that saw Taylor exiled to Nigeria.
Neither Shah nor Urey could be reached on Tuesday for comment.
Taylor was indicted by a UN-backed war-crimes tribunal in Sierra Leone last year as a primary supporter of the Sierra Leone rebels.
In March, the UN Security Council approved an asset freeze to prevent Taylor, his family, and close associates "from using misappropriated funds and property to interfere in the restoration of peace and stability in Liberia and the sub-region."
The list included Taylor and 22 others, including another former finance minister, Charles Bright, former minister of mines and energy Jenkins Dunbar, former culture and information minister Reginald Goodridge Sr, and the former chairman of the National Patriotic Party, Cyril Allen.
A number of businessmen are also the list, including Russian arms dealer Victor Bout, Lebanese businessman Ali Kleilat and Gambian arms trafficker Baba Jobe.
The council also ordered the assets frozen of Gus Kouvenhoven, owner of the Hotel Africa and president of the Oriental Timber Company and Leonid Minin, the owner of Exotic Tropical Timber Enterprises.
- AP
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