The Muhanga district intermediate court has denied bail appeal submitted by a former parliamentary candidate, Germain Musonera, who was pulled out of the July parliamentary race after it was discovered that he faced charges of genocide crimes.
At the bail appeal held this October 10, 2024, the court upheld a prior decision taken by a primary court in Kiyumba to detain the suspect for another mandatory 30-day remand period, pending his trial on crimes committed during the 1994 genocide against Tutsi.
Musonera is accused of committing genocide crimes, possession of firearms and complicity to commit genocide during the Genocide against the Tutsi.
It is alleged that Musonera committed these crimes in the former Nyabikenke Commune- where he was an employee in charge of youth, who also owned a pub.
The Prosecution said that the suspect committed genocide crimes when a Tutsi named Jean Marie Vianney Kayihura came to buy alcohol at the said pub, when he was beaten up and whisked away to be killed at a manhole near Kanyanza Parish.
During the earlier bail hearing, Musonera had defended his bail application saying that he wanted to be investigated for the crimes without being locked up because he was in the government service and for several times had been sent on foreign missions abroad but didn’t evade justice since he didn’t have any criminal suspicions.
Musonera also contested that he is well known in Kiyumba sector and has not been hiding as alleged in his charges, an argument which he said makes him reliable.
The prosecution argued that Musonera, if released, would tamper with the evidence in his case, and that the crime charged against him is heavy, so he should be tried while in jail.
The presiding Judge at the Muhanga Intermediate court upheld the decision taken by another judge at Kiyumba primary court and ordered that Musonera be held in custody for 30 days for more case evidence to be gathered.
