The 'supermodel' tag comes with a lot of perks, but this is one freebie that Naomi Campbell probably wishes she had passed up.
The British catwalk queen, known for her fiery temper, has gotten into brushes with the law several times in recent years and it looks like she may soon land inside a courtroom yet again. This time not over charges that she had assaulted her maids or driver, but to face a UN war crimes tribunal investigating charges against former Liberian president Charles Taylor.
Taylor currently faces a trial in The Hague, The Netherlands, for his alleged role in the war (1991 to 2001) that erupted in Sierra Leone, which shares a border with Liberia. He is charged with arming rebel forces in Sierra Leone, forces who are reported to have committed several atrocities, including murder, rape and the recruitment of child soldiers, in exchange for illegally mined diamonds, the so-called 'blood diamonds' which were the subject of the Leonardo di Caprio film.
So what do these murky dealings have to do with Naomi?
In an interview with America's ABC News in April, Hollywood actress Mia Farrow, who along with Campbell and Taylor attended a dinner in South Africa hosted by Nelson Mandela in 1997, claimed Naomi was presented a 'blood diamond' as a gift by the then Liberian president.
Farrow, who is also set to testify at the trial and is an ardent campaigner of human rights issues in Africa, says Naomi herself volunteered the information that Taylor's aides visited her room after the dinner and gifted her the large diamond.
According to The Times, London, judges presiding over Taylor's trial have been requested by prosecutors to subpoena Campbell, so that she is forced to testify.
While both Taylor and Campbell have denied Farrow's claims, the leggy looker may once again find herself on the other side of a legal dispute.
Image: Naomi Campbell wears the Mouawad Mondera, a 60-carat diamond valued at around $12 million, at the 2002 London Fashion Week. Photograph: Dan Chung/Reuters
