From the Washington Post:
Former Liberian president Charles Taylor, testifying in his war crimes trial in The Hague on Thursday, said that his government had awarded American televangelist Pat Robertson a gold mining concession in 1999 and that Robertson later offered to lobby the Bush administration on the government’s behalf. ... A spokesman for Robertson ... confirmed that Robertson was awarded a gold exploration concession by the Liberian government during the 1990s. But he said that there was "no quid pro quo" to provide the government with anything in return. Roslan said that Freedom Gold is no longer in operation and has never found any gold. "This concession was granted by the Liberian government to promote economic activity and alleviate the suffering of the people of Liberia following a terrible civil war," Roslan said, adding that Robertson never met Taylor or paid him any money.
(Originally found at Chris Blattman's very interesting site.)
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