Rwandan court delays ruling on former president’s appeal

KIGALI – Rwanda’s Supreme Court yesterday postponed by one month a ruling in the case of the country’s first post-genocide president Pasteur Bizimungu, saying it needed more time to consider his appeal against criminal convictions and a 15-year jail sentence.

Chief Justice Aloysie Cyanzaire said the court, which had been expected to give its verdict on Tuesday after concluding the appeals hearing on December 6, required additional time to deliberate on the case, which Bizimungu and seven co-convicts claim is politically motivated. “Considering that the case involves a number of convicts and given that several issues arose during the hearing, the court finds it necessary to postpone the case to analyse what was said and to properly formulate the ruling,” he said.”For these reasons, the ruling has been postponed to February 17,” Cyanzaire said.Bizimungu, 55 and Rwanda’s president between 1994 and 2000, was convicted in June 2004 after he was found guilty of incitement to civil disobedience, embezzling state funds and criminal association.But he, alongside his former transport minister Charles Ntakirutinka and six other co-defendants are appealing the convictions, which they maintain are political, as well as their jail sentences.- Nampa-AFP”Considering that the case involves a number of convicts and given that several issues arose during the hearing, the court finds it necessary to postpone the case to analyse what was said and to properly formulate the ruling,” he said.”For these reasons, the ruling has been postponed to February 17,” Cyanzaire said.Bizimungu, 55 and Rwanda’s president between 1994 and 2000, was convicted in June 2004 after he was found guilty of incitement to civil disobedience, embezzling state funds and criminal association.But he, alongside his former transport minister Charles Ntakirutinka and six other co-defendants are appealing the convictions, which they maintain are political, as well as their jail sentences.- Nampa-AFP