THE HAGUE, Netherlands, March 9 (UPI) -- A verdict isn't expected until later this year at the war crimes trial in The Hague for former Liberian President Charles Taylor, court observers said.
The on-again, off-again trial at the special U.N. Court for Sierra Leone is entering its final phase after being delayed for several weeks over a legal dispute, the BBC reported Wednesday.
Taylor is the first former African head of state to be tried by an international tribunal.
He is charged on 11 counts including murder, rape and using children as soldiers during the brutal civil war in Sierra Leone.
Taylor is accused of arming and controlling the Revolutionary United Front rebels during a 10-year campaign of terror conducted largely against civilians.
The prosecution charges he sold so-called "blood diamonds" for the rebels in return for supplying them with weapons.
Last week, his defense team won permission to file its final brief after missing the January deadline.
Defense lawyers are prepared to make their closing arguments.
