Dutch arms dealer linked to warlord Charles Taylor gets bail in Cape Town
Guus Kouwenhoven who supplied arms that fuelled Liberia’s bloody civil war between 2000 and 2003
Convicted Dutch arms dealer Guus Kouwenhoven, who supplied arms that fuelled Liberia’s bloody civil war was released on bail of $78,000 on Tuesday, in Cape Town. Kouwenhoven was arrested at his Cape Town mansion in early December after Dutch prosecutors requested his extradition to serve a 19-year sentence for his role in the West African country’s conflict. He was reportedly granted bail "under strict conditions" that include reporting to a police station every two hours during the week. "He has also been placed under house arrest [on weekends] and his passport is to be handed in," News24 reported. Kouwenhoven was found guilty in absentia by a Dutch court in April of delivering weapons to the regime of ousted Liberian dictator Charles Taylor between 2000 and 2003. In return for the arms, he received preferential treatment and lucrative contracts for his logging business in violation of a UN arms embargo. His bail hearing in Cape Town last week revealed his lavish lifestyle and mult...
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