Dutch Timber Dealer Convicted of Breaking UN Arms Embargo

THE HAGUE, The Netherlands, June 12, 2006 (ENS) - The Dutch timber merchant Guus van Kouwenhoven has been sentenced to eight years in prison for breaking a United Nations arms embargo on Liberia. A Dutch court found that Kouwenhoven had sold weapons to the former Liberian president Charles Taylor in return for timber rights.

But he was acquitted of war crimes charges based on allegations that private militias formed by his two timber companies had carried out atrocities.

During the three week trial that ended Wednesday, prosecutors described Kouwenhoven as one of Taylor's "inner circle" and demanded a 20 year prison sentence and a fine of 450,000 euros (US$575,000).

But the court ruled, "The evidence was insufficient to show factual involvement and knowledge" by van Kouwenhoven in the commission of war crimes.

Dutch timber merchant Guus van Kouwenhoven escaped conviction on war crimes charges but was convicted of illegal arms trade. (Photo credit unknown)

Former Liberian President Charles Taylor (Photo credit unknown)

Between 2000 and 2003, Kouwenhoven was at the center of the timber-for-arms trade in Liberia. His two logging companies - the Royal Timber Company and Oriental Timber Corporation - sold large amounts of Liberian timber to Europe and China.

Only after July 7, 2003, when the UN Security Council imposed sanctions on Liberian timber exports, were the ties between Kouwenhoven and the European timber trade terminated. A month after the ban in timber exports came into effect, the civil war ended and Taylor fled to Nigeria.

During the trial Kouwenhoven denied the charges, and his lawyers claimed prosecution witnesses were paid.

The investigative non-governmental organization Global Witness, which documented Kouwenhoven’s role in the Liberian conflict since 2000, applauded the courage of the Liberian and international witnesses who testified despite the threat of intimidation.

“The barbaric regime of Charles Taylor was financed and maintained by the revenues generated from the timber trade, in which Guus Kouwenhoven was the biggest player,” said Global Witness campaigner Alex Yearsley. “This conviction will send a stark warning to individuals who feel that they can profit with impunity from trading in a conflict region.”

Yearsley says reports by Global Witness and by United Nations expert panels not only resulted in UN-imposed sanctions on Liberia’s timber trade in 2003, but directly led to an investigation by the Dutch Ministry of Justice into Kouwenhoven's activities.

Greenpeace participated in investigating the Liberian "blood-timber" trade and bringing public attention to the Liberian timber for arms trade, revealing that European timber dealer, including Swiss-German Danzer, Danish DLH Nordisk, Dutch Wijma, Greece-based Shelman, German Feldmeyer-Group, and the Italian company Tecnoalp were all involved in buying timber from Kouwenhoven's two companies in Liberia.

Greenpeace protest in Kalamaki, Greece, April 15, 2002. Greek, German and Swiss activists boarded the vessel MV Zini, there to unload logs which it had picked up at the Liberian port of Buchanan, controlled by Kouwenhoven's logging company Oriental Timber Company. (Photo courtesy Greenpeace)

"The lack of legislation at international level on imports of illegal or conflict timber contributed to this horrible example of destructive exploitation of a natural resource, fueling civil war and related crimes against humanity," said van Praet. "Governments must take up their responsibility to stop illegal and blood-timber trade right now."

Saying that timber from "conflict-prone" countries like Burma, Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to be freely traded on the international market, Greenpeace is urging governments and timber traders to ban the importing of timber from illegal and destructive logging.

Yearsley says the international community should also "swiftly adopt an internationally agreed definition of conflict resources," which would help curtail the trade in conflict resources in a more systematic and responsive way.