Former Liberian president Charles Taylor presented Naomi Campbell with a blood diamond at a dinner hosted by Nelson Mandela, his Hague war crimes tribunal heard.
Taylor, 61, has pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the 1991-2001 civil war in neighbouring Sierra Leone.
Prosecutor Brenda Hollis said Taylor obtained diamonds from Sierra Leone rebels and took to South Africa to sell or exchange them for weapons.
She said: “From among those diamonds that you took to South Africa, after this dinner that you attended you sent your men to Ms Campbell’s room to provide her with a large — diamond.”
But Taylor denied the allegation. “That is totally incorrect,” he said.
Hollis said: “That diamond that you sent to Naomi Campbell was one of the diamonds that you had been given by the junta in Sierra Leone.”
To which he replied:”Total nonsense.”
Hollis said the gift was made after a dinner hosted by Mandela in 1997, when he was president. The dinner was attended by celebs Quincy Jones and Mia Farrow, who was listed as a witness. Campbell allegedly told Farrow of the diamond gift the following day.