Rusesabagina talking to his lawyer David Rugaza
Rwanda’s Prosecution has filed a High Court case seeking in-substance trial of Paul Rusesabagina.
The case submitted this Monday also involves other 17 members of Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change- National Liberation Front (MRCD-FLN) who allegedly worked as Rusesabagina’s accomplices to commit terrorism, murder, abduction and arson- all committed on Rwandan soil in 2018.
The case comes at a time when Paul Rusesabagina is battling an extra 30 day detention in a terrorism case where prosecution had requested Nyarugenge Intermediate court to uphold the request on grounds of further investigation into the crimes.
Court is expected to rule over the detention appeal case on November 20, 2020 when Rusesabagina is expected to have his new defense team composed of about four lawyers including his formerly dropped defense attorneys-David Rugaza and Emelyne Nyembo.
Asked why the prosecution filled another case while one of the suspects is already battling a detention case, Prosecution said that it was on competence grounds.
“The crimes charged against them (suspects) can only be tried in-substance by a competent court- which is the High Court,” Faustin Nkusi, the National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA) Spokesman said,
“We are now waiting for the court to set a date of hearing.”
Nkusi also revealed that most of the indicted suspects are Rwandans and were accomplices in the charges levied on Rusesabagina which were committed in Southern province at different intervals- especially in Nyabimata sector neighboring Rwanda and Burundi.
