Charles Taylor denied more time to wrap up defense

International war crimes judges refused Thursday to grant former Liberian President Charles Taylor more time to file a written summary of his defense case, as his trial for allegedly orchestrating atrocities in Sierra Leone draws to a close.

Taylor's lawyer, Courtenay Griffiths, told judges at the Special Court for Sierra Leone that he cannot submit a summary of defense arguments until the court rules on several outstanding motions, including one based on diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks.

Griffiths had been told to file the summary by Jan. 14, but said he could not because of the outstanding motions.

Among them is one calling into question the court's independence following a cable from the U.S. Embassy in the Liberian capital, Monrovia, released by WikiLeaks.

In the leaked cable, diplomats warn that if Taylor is acquitted and returns to Liberia it could destabilize the country's fragile peace.

"The best we can do for Liberia is to see to it that Taylor is put away for a long time" the cable, dated March 10, 2009, said. It also suggested that building a case against Taylor in the U.S. could be one way of ensuring he does not return to Liberia should he be acquitted by the Sierra Leone tribunal.

Griffiths said the cable showed the tribunal is not independent, "because the Americans are already putting in place contingency plans so if Mr. Taylor is acquitted they will put him on trial again in the United States."

Judges have dismissed the motion, but Griffiths has asked for permission to appeal.

Presiding Judge Teresa Doherty said that the three-judge panel ruled by majority that Taylor "does not have the option of obeying or disobeying" court orders. She added that Taylor could apply to amend his final statement if necessary.

Ugandan judge Julia Sebutinde disagreed with the decision, saying that "in my view it is not fair" to order Taylor to file the summary before the court has ruled on all motions.

Griffiths said he was shocked by the decision and would likely not deliver closing arguments in court at a hearing scheduled to start Feb. 8.

"I have never heard of criminal proceedings where you have closing arguments when there are a number of substantial legal issues outstanding," he told The Associated Press after Thursday's hearing.

Taylor has pleaded innocent to 11 charges of supporting rebels responsible for some of the worst atrocities committed during Sierra Leone's bloody civil war that ended in 2002, including hacking off the limbs of their enemies with machetes.

Prosecutor Brenda Hollis had urged judges not to grant Taylor more time, saying that it would "let him sit in the middle of the courtroom and run the trial. He has no such right."

Tens of thousands of people were killed in Sierra Leone's 1991-2002 civil war, which was marked by militia members who hacked off the limbs, noses or lips of their victims, and the widespread recruitment and use of child soldiers, many of them drugged to desensitize them to the horrific acts they were forced to carry out.

Taylor denies involvement and insists he was a statesman who tried to bring peace to the volatile West African region after he was elected Liberia's president.