Liberia's ex-president and warlord Charles Taylor gave a blood diamond to supermodel Naomi Campbell, prosecutors in his war crimes trial charged.

The diamond was among those Taylor had obtained from Sierra Leone rebels and took to South Africa "to sell or exchange them from weapons," prosecutor Brenda Hollis asserted in cross-examining Taylor.

"In fact, from among those diamonds that you took to South Africa, after this dinner that you attended you sent your men to Ms Campbell's room to provide her with a large rough-cut diamond. That's correct, is it not, Mr Taylor?" she said.

"That is totally incorrect," Taylor responded.

"Mr Taylor, that diamond that you sent to Naomi Campbell was one of the diamonds that you had been given by the junta in Sierra Leone. Isn't that correct?"

"Total nonsense"
Hollis said the alleged gift was made after a dinner hosted by South Africa's then-president Mandela in September 1997, which was attended by celebrities like singer Quincy Jones and actress Mia Farrow.

However, prosecutors cannot use new evidence alleging that Taylor gave Campbell a diamond. The prosecution tried to introduce a document from Mia Farrow, alleging that Campbell had informed her that Mr. Taylor had sent his men to give her a diamond.

Defense lawyer Courtenay Griffiths objected to the use of the document, arguing that while the document was a declaration made by Ms. Farrow to Special Court for Sierra Leone prosecutor, Nicholas Koumjian, there is nothing indicating that the declaration was made under oath or whether it was a sworn affidavit.

Griffiths further stated that Ms. Farrow’s declaration that certain guests at the dinner, including Mrs. Mandela, raised concern about the presence of Mr. Taylor at the dinner, meant that the document was prejudicial, and that the best person to have made any statement about the transfer of the the diamond would have been Ms. Campbell herself, not a third party. Mr. Griffiths called the document “third-hand hearsay.”

“This document is complete nonsense. It is ridiculous. It should not be allowed in a court of law. It has no probative value and it is highly prejudicial, and in that situation, any tribunal of fact has the discretion to exclude it on that basis, and I so invite you to do,” Griffiths told the judges.

Despite prosecution arguments that “this document impeaches that categorical denial by this witness that he ever had any diamonds during the time he was in the NPFL [National Patriotic Front of Liberia] or president of Liberia except that maybe he had a couple of watches that had diamonds,” the judges ruled in favor of the defense, stating that the document cannot be used in the cross-examination of Mr. Taylor.