Liberia: Boakai Picks Taylor’s ‘Errand Girl’ Kaddieyatu Who Handled Secrets & Covert Budget for Notorious Militia Army To Sit on Foreign Policy Council

By Festus Poquie

President Joseph Boakai on November 14 named Kaddieyatu Darrah Findley, a former special assistant to Ex President Charles Taylor, as ambassador-at-large on his foreign policy advisory council — a return to the Executive Mansion two decades after the end of Taylor’s presidency and his exile to Nigeria.

Kaddieyatu served as Taylor’s special assistant during his presidency from 1997 to 2003.

At Taylor’s 2009 war crimes trial at the UN backed Special Court for Sierra Leone, the former president testified that Ms. Findley handled “special messages” and was “specifically responsible for the covert budget that paid the ATU and some other covert agencies.”

Taylor’s testimony described her role as managing disbursements for funds intended for secret or special operations.

The Antiterrorist Unit (ATU) was a paramilitary force created under Taylor’s government that became notorious during the Second Liberian Civil War (1999–2003).

Human rights organizations have documented widespread abuses by the ATU and other progovernment units, including extrajudicial killings, torture, sexual violence, abductions and the recruitment of child soldiers. Taylor’s son, Charles “Chuckie” Taylor Jr., convicted for torture in the US headed the ATU during that period.

At the Special Court hearing, when asked whether Findley paid out funds in cash, Taylor answered, “That is correct,” and explained that some covert payments were not itemized in the national budget and were handled confidentially through his office.

Boaki’s appointment of Findley places a former member of Taylor’s inner circle back in an influential advisory role. The administration has not responded to Oracle News Daily inquiry on how it assessed Darrah-Findley’s past responsibilities in making the appointment.

CHARLES TAYLOR TRIAL Transcript 18 NOVEMBER 2009 OPEN SESSION SPECIAL Court For Sierra Leone

Q.Mr Taylor, Kadiatu Diarra Findley, who is that? A. Kadiatu Diarra Findley served as my special assistant during my presidency.

1. And she is Liberian? A. Yes, she is Liberian of Senegalese parentage. She’s born and raised in Liberia. The Diarra – Diarra, her father, I understand, migrated to Liberia many, many, many years ago and had all his children. So she’s Liberian but she’s – Diarra is Senegalese.
2. And Kadiatu, Mr Taylor, how do you spell Kadiatu? A. I would say K-A-D-I-Y-A-T-U. I could be wrong about that. Kadiatu.
3. And Diarra?
4. I think that Diarra is D-A-R-R-A, [sic] if I’m not mistaken. I think it’s D-A-R-R-A, Diarra.
5. And Findley, how do you spell that? A. I think that Findley, I think, is F-I-N-D-L-E-Y, if I’m not mistaken.
6. How did you first meet Kadiatu Diarra Findley? A. I met – I first met Kadiatu in 1990. 1990. What am I saying 1990? Hold it. 1980, when we came to – I came to Liberia, she was a little girl.

She was working, partly being cared for by Grace Minor. That’s how I met her.

1. To your knowledge, what educational background does Ms Diarra Findley have?
2. She has a BSC degree. I’m not sure in what discipline. I think it’s either in political science or something like that, but she does have a BSC degree.
3. Did she have any part in either your NPFL or the NPRAG?
4. No.
5. To your knowledge, was she living in the NPFL-controlled territories prior to the elections?
6. Yes. Kadiatu was living in the NPFL-controlled area prior to elections, yes.
7. Was she staying with Grace Minor?
8. No, no, no. Not at that time, no.
9. Would you consider her a close confidant of yours during your presidential years? A. Well, Kady was my special assistant. Close confidant? I wouldn’t go that far, no.
10. What were her duties as your special assistant?
11. Kady handled special messages, little jobs that I wanted done, things that I called for some movement. She was specifically responsible for the covert budget that paid the ATU and some other covert agencies.
12. So in addition to the ATU, what other agencies would she have been responsible for paying?
13. Well, depending on – these are still secrets. I’m not sure if – these are Liberian government secrets. If there were any special operations or something of that sort, the funding for those operations, once approved, she would handle the disbursement. Whether it was NAS, national security. I think you know, counsel, these fundings sometimes come in bulk amounts, and let’s say they are not spelt out in the national budget and this is what confused a lot of people, what I have seen some of the reports, but it happens everywhere. And her job would be, let’s say if a certain amount came, maybe through something like a presidential budget but it was intended for a covert intelligence payment, that lump sum would be delivered. That’s what she did, confidentially, yes.
14. Was she involved in payments to the Special Security Service as well?
15. No, no, no. The special security was paid through the Ministry of Finance under the government budget.
16. And you said that she would also be responsible for special messages. What kind of messages were those?
17. If I had, let’s say, to get a, you know, quick message to a friend of mine – Presidents have friends too – she would run on little errands, to do little errands and that kind of stuff.
18. So in addition to these jobs on behalf of you in your personal capacity and the management of the – or the distribution of the covert budget, did she have other official duties as your special assistant?
19. That’s it. That was what the special assistant covered. She would attend meetings. She would take notes in meeting. That would go through the Ministry of State because that – even though she was special assistant, she worked under the chief of staff in the Ministry of State.
20. Her duties also involved paying out sums in cash, isn’t that correct?
21. That is correct.
22. And she would get those cash sums from you, isn’t that correct? A. Well, from me, that is not correct. From a budget attributed to the President, yes.
23. But not from you directly?
24. Not from me directly, no.
25. Was she also the owner of a hotel in Monrovia?
26. Yeah. I think Kady does own – she does own some place that is used – people use it up and down. I don’t know if it’s a hotel, but – I don’t know what all she owns, but I do think she owns some place that she rents out rooms. I’ll not sure if it’s a hotel, but I know she’s involved in the renting business.
27. Do you know if that’s in the Sinkor area of Monrovia?
28. Yes, I think it is, yes, somewhere in the Sinkor area.
29. Now, when you say a budget attributed to the President, can you tell us what all would be involved in that budget attributed to the President?
30. Well, they use titles. There are general titles that would be used to hide – nobody really knew except maybe the committees in the House of Representatives or the Senate, no one actually gets to know – like even the United States – the actual CIA budget, nobody knows it. Maybe the President does, but that’s not public. For example, you would see an account under the presidential account called special projects. That would be a code name for money going to some intelligence operation and so that’s the kind of thing that you will find. So we would have payments to the ATU, we would have payments for these special operations, special covert operations. Anything else in the budget attributed to the President?
31. Not that I –
32. Any other categories?
33. Not that I can recall right now.
34. And while you were President, how much money would be in that budget attributed to the President, do you recall?
35. I really don’t know. The budgets are done by the Ministry of State. The President is not involved. Those amounts come from recommendations from agencies. Sometimes some special allowance. But that’s with the Ministry of State. Only they would know. I really don’t know the amounts.
36. During what time frame did Ms Diarra Findley act as your special assistant?
37. Throughout my presidency.
38. And did she remain in Liberia after you left the presidency?
39. I can’t say for sure. I know that she was not well and she left Liberia. She was seriously ill and she left Liberia just before – about a month before I left office, she had gone to receive very critical medical attention, and I don’t know when she returned. I do know now that she is back in Liberia, but I don’t know if she was out for any extended period of time, because I was not in direct contact with her while I was in exile in Nigeria before my arrest. During my time in Nigeria, I spoke to her once in the United States – once or twice in the United States. But I don’t know when she left.
40. Have you had any contact with her since those one or two contacts? A. No, I have no contacts with her.