THE HAGUE — The cross-examination of Liberia’s former president Charles Taylor started in The Hague on Tuesday at his war crimes trial with the prosecutor and the accused trading charges of lying.

“You have not been truthful,” prosecutor Brenda Hollis told Taylor at the end of his months-long testimony before the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

“I have been truthful before this court,” retorted Taylor and challenged the prosecutor to “present the evidentiary facts” that proved otherwise.

“We will do that over the course of the cross-examination, mr Taylor,” replied Hollis.

Taylor, 61, has pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity stemming from the brutal 1991-2001 civil war in neighbouring Sierra Leone.

These include charges of murder, rape, conscripting child soldiers, enslavement and pillaging.

He has been on trial since January 2008, accused of having fuelled war in Sierra Leone by arming the rebel Revolutionary United front (RUF) in exchange for so-called “blood diamonds”.

The RUF is blamed for the mutilation of thousands of civilians who had their hands and arms severed in one of the most brutal wars in modern history, which claimed some 120,000 lives.

Taylor repeated his claims Tuesday that the case against him was based on lies.

“This whole case is a lie,” he told Hollis, and accused the prosecution of “paying witnesses”.

“This whole construct is to secure a verdict that would put me away because this whole thing has been about destroying me,” the ex-warlord said.

“If the prosecution is permitted to get away with this, of course that’s what happens to me: I go to jail for the rest of my life.”

Taylor took the stand in July in his own defence, and completed his evidence on Tuesday.