BURUNDI - JUSTICE.

THE CASE "COLONEL ZACHARIE RWASA AND OTHERS"  BEFORE THE COURT AGAIN.

BUJUMBURA, AUGUST 10, 2000 (NET PRESS). TODAY'S PROCEEDINGS REACHED THEIR TURNING POINT WHEN STARTED A MOVING CROSS-EXAMINATION BETWEEN THE PLAINTIFF, ADMINISTRATOR OF THE COMMUNE OF BWAMBARANGWE, KIRUNDO PROVINCE, MR. ILDEPHONSE BARYANINTIMBA, AND DEFENDANTS ASSISTED BY LAWYERS.       MR  BARYANINTIMBA THINKS THAT HE WAS VICTIM OF A "MAN'S HUNT" AND THAT HE "ESCAPED DEATH" ON NOVEMBER 16, 1998 AND JANUARY 16, 1999. HE TOLD THE COURT THAT FORMER DIRECTOR OF THE LYCEE OF MUKENKE, MR. BURATSINZE, MUST BE PURSUED LIKE LIEUTENANT-COLONEL RWASA BECAUSE THEY "HAVE HELD SEVERAL MEETINGS WITH THE CRIMINALS" WITH THE INTENTION OF ASSASSINATING HIM. THE LAWYER ONESIME KABAYABAYA, COUNSEL  OF THE DEFENDANTS, REFUTED "SUCH UNSUBSTANTIATED, APPROXIMATIVE AND GLOBAL ALLEGATIONS". HE EXPLAINED THAT HE CAN NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THE ADMINISTRATOR OF BWAMBARANGWE COMMUNE HAS ALWAYS PRETENDED TO BE THE ONE WHO WAS TARGETTED WHENEVER SHOOTINGS WERE HEARD IN HIS COMMUNE, WHILE OTHER PEOPLE BUT HE WERE WOUNDED OR KILLED BY THE BULLETS. THE COUNSEL OF THE DEFENDANTS ALSO PROTESTED AGAINST THE TERM "CRIMINALS" UTILIZED IN THE CASE OF HIS CLIENTS, AS LONG AS THE COURT HAS NOT YET RULED THE AFFAIR. MR. BARYANINTIMBA THEN REPLIED THAT TIME SHOULD NOT BE WASTED DISCUSSING ON FRENCH LEXICOLOGY SINCE, ACCORDING TO HIM "WE ARE NOT FRENCH NATIVES AND TO SOME EXTENT, IT IS NOT THAT MUCH IMPORTANT".

LAWYER ONESIME KABAYABAYA ASKED THE FLOOR ONCE MORE AND POINTED OUT THAT "FOR A MERE  PUNCTUATION, PEOPLE CAN BE ACQUITTED OR DEATH SENTENCED AND ONE MUST BE ACCURATE IN ONE'S ACCUSATIONS" AGAINST HIS CLIENTS. ALL THE SUSPECTS POINTED OUT THAT THEIR HAVING BEEN GIVEN A LIFT BY COLONEL ZACHARIE RWASA DOES NOT MAKE THEM GUILTY, AND EVEN A JUDGE OF THE MILITARY COURT REQUESTED  THE   PLAINTIFF TO EXPLAIN HOW MEETINGS BETWEEN COLONEL RWASA AND HIS FRIENDS WHO ARE TODAY HIS JAILMATES MAY BE VIEWED AS MEETINGS AIMED AT PLANNING TO ASSASSINATE HIM. TO THIS QUESTION, THE PLAINTIFF DID NOT RESPOND CLEARLY PRETENDING THAT HE HAD ALREADY GIVEN THE ANSWER TO THE COURT. DEFENDANT COUNSELS DEPLORED FURTHERMORE THAT THE GENERAL AUDITOR SEEMS NOT TO BE AWARE OF THE WAY THE INVESTIGATIONS HAD BEEN CONDUCTED AND OF THE SITUATION OF THE ONGOING AFFAIR. WHEN DEFENDANT BURATSINZE REQUESTED  TO BE SET FREE SINCE IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THERE WERE NO CHARGES AGAINST HIM, THE GENERAL AUDITOR REPLIED THAT IF BURATSINZE WAS SET FREE, "ALL OF US SHALL BE HAPPY, SINCE I ALSO REPRESENT HERE THE PROSECUTION AND THEREFORE EVERYBODY". THE DEFENDANTS COUNSELS THEN SEIZED THAT OPPORTUNITY AND REQUESTED HIM TO FREE THE ACCUSED BURATSINZE, BUT THE GENERAL AUDITOR  SAID THAT THE DECISION WAS LYING WITH THE COURT. DUE TO HEALTH PROBLEMS OF THE GENERAL AUDITOR, THE  HEARINGS WHICH HAD BEGAN AT 10,15 O'CLOCK ENDED AT 14,30 O'CLOCK.

BURUNDI - SOCIETY.

TOO MANY STRANGE ELEMENTS SURROUNDING THE HOUSE RENTED BY MR. TERENCE NAHIMANA (M.P.).

BUJUMBURA, AUGUST 10, 2000 (NET PRESS). THE HOUSE INVOLVED IS LOCATED AT KIRIRI LUXURY QUARTER AND IT IS RENTED BY HONORABLE TERENCE NAHIMANA. ACCORDING TO WHAT MS. LEA NZOBONIMPA TOLD "NET PRESS", FOR 4 YEARS SHE DID NOT GET ANY PAYMENT BY M.P.  NAHIMANA SINCE 1996, WHILE THE RENT AGREEMENT WAS PROVIDING FOR "THE RENT IS VALID FOR A 3-YEAR PERIOD STARTING FROM SEPTEMBER 1st, 1996 AND IT MAY BE SUBJECT TO TACIT RENEWAL FOR THE SAME PERIOD OF TIME" AND THAT "THE MONTHLY RENT IS FIXED AT BIF 100, 000 TO BE PAID IN ADVANCE". THUS, ACCORDING TO MS.  NZOBONIMPA,  THE ONLY  PAYMENTS MADE BY MR. NAHIMANA WAS OF ONE MONTH RENT AND ANOTHER TWO MONTH-PAYMENT REPRESENTING A DEPOSIT, I.E. AN AMOUNT TOTALLING BIF 300,000, NOTHING MORE.

M.P. NAHIMANA REFUTES MS. NZOBONIMPA'S ALLEGATIONS AND AFFIRMS THAT HE HAS BEEN PAYING RENTS TO SOME MEMBERS OF MS. NZOBONIMPA'S FAMILY "ALTHOUGH THEY ARE DENYING IT NOW".  HE ADDED THAT, AS THERE WERE PROBLEMS TO BE ADDRESSED JOINTLY BY BOTH HIM AND MS. NZOBONIMPA, HE HAD AGREED WITH HER TO SUSPEND RENTAL PAYMENTS TO HER FAMILY MEMBERS SO AS HE DIRECTLY BE IN TOUCH WITH HER UPON HER ARRIVING IN BURUNDI. FOR, SAID MP NAHIMANA, SHE WAS RESIDING IN GERMANY SINCE 1989 AND "WE ARE LOOKING INTO THE MATTER AND IT IS QUITE NORMAL THAT EVERYBODY BEAR ONE'S RESPONSIBILITIES".

ALONGSIDE RENT PAYMENT PROBLEMS, THE NAME OF THE REAL OWNER OF THE HOUSE REMAINS SUBJECT TO CONTROVERSY. IN FACT THE HOUSE WAS PURCHASED BY MS. LEA NZOBONIMPA BUT NO PROPERTY CERTIFICATE WAS ISSUED BY THE NOTARY WHILE, IN HER VIEW, IT HAD BEEN ACQUIRED ON A REGULAR BASIS. IN SPITE OF A LETTER  TO THE TRIBUNAL OF COMMERCE OPPOSING THE HOUSE AUCTION SALE IN 1998 FOR "THERE ARE NO DEBTS OWED NEITHER TO THE GOVERNMENT OR WHOSOEVER" AND SUBSEQUENTLY "THERE IS NO REASON JUSTIFYING THE SALE", THE AUCTION SALE DID TAKE PLACE. THUS, IT WAS BOUGHT SUCCESSIVELY BY A DESIRE NSENGIYUMVA AND A BANQUE POPULAIRE (POPULAR BANK) EMPLOYEE, WHO WERE GIVEN FORMAL PROPERTY CERTIFICATES WHILE THEY HAD BEEN DENIED HER FOR THE ALLEGED REASON THAT THE FILE RELATING TO THE HOUSE WAS MISSING FOR A LONG TIME. MS. NZOBONIMPA WONDERED HOW A MISSING FILE CEASED TO BE MISSING ONCE THE HOUSE WAS BOUGHT BY TWO SUCCESSIVE OWNERS AND PROPERTY CERTIFICATES DELIVERED TO THEM BY THE NOTARIAL OFFICE. IN MS. LEA NZOBONIMPA'S VIEW, MR. HERMENEGILDE SINDIHEBURA, THE NOTARY, WHO WAS EXPECTED TO ISSUE TO HER A PROPERTY CERTIFICATE IS THE ONE WHO MUST BEAR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL THE  MANOEUVERS AIMING AT DEPRIVING HER OF THE HOUSE. THEREFORE, SHE DEMANDS THAT JUSTICE BE RENDERED AND THAT SHE RECOVER HER HOUSE. AS FOR THE PAYMENT OF ARREARS, MS.  NZOBONIMPA HAS GOT AN APPOINTMENT WITH MR. TERENCE NAHIMANA (M.P.) FIXED TOMORROW ON 11 AUGUST, 2000.  OTHERWISE, SHE PLANS TO DENOUNCE HIM TO HIS COLLEAGUES.

BURUNDI - GENOCIDE.

BARUNDI NATIONALS RESIDING IN BELGIUM CONDEMN THE SENIOR CADETS STUDENTS MASSACRE BY THE TERRORISTS-GENOCIDERS.

BRUSSELS, AUGUST 10, 2000 (NET PRESS). BARUNDI NATIONALS RESIDING IN BELGIUM WHO ARE MEMBERS OF THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS : AFFLENET, ARPAC, ASP, HAVILA, ICFB, SOLIDARITE DES GRANDS LACS AND UPRONA  BELGIUM SECTION, DENOUNCE ENERGETICALLY THE SENIOR CADETS  STUDENTS  SAVAGE  MASSACRE BY TERRORISTS-GENOCIDERS ON 6 AUGUST, 2000 AT NYABIRABA, BUJUMBURA RURAL PROVINCE. THEIR DECLARATION POINTS OUT THAT THEY "CONDEMN THIS VILE MASSACRE JUST PERPETRATED BY FDD-PALIPEHUTU GENOCIDAL HORDES AGAINST SEVERAL DOZENS ISCAM SENIOR STAFF STUDENTS ...". THE  ABOVE-MENTIONNED ORGANIZATIONS TAKE AS GRANTED THE PROSECUTION OF SUCH ORGANIZATIONS CHARGED WITH GENOCIDE BEFORE NATIONAL COURTS FIRST AND THEN INTERNATIONAL ONES AS AN  IMPERATIVE, AMONG WHICH THE FRODEBU FIRST AND FOREMOST, THE POLITICAL PARTY THAT HAS GENERATED THE FDD AND HIGH RANKING OFFICIALS AND FOLLOWERS OF THAT PARTY. THE DECLARATION AFFIRMS THAT SUCH A JUDICIARY ACTION IS A PREREQUISITE PRIOR TO ANY FURTHER POLITICAL NEGOTIATIONS AND ANY PEACE INITIATIVE IN BURUNDI. THE STATEMENT SIGNATORIES INSIST THAT GENOCIDAL ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THE CNDD-PALIPEHUTU MUST BE DISMANTLED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IN COMPLIANCE WITH LUSAKA ACCORDS. THEY ALSO DEPLORE THE REPEATED MANOEUVERS AIMING AT GRANTING AMNESTY TO GENOCIDERS WHICH "HAVE RESULTED IN THE SIGNING OF SEVERAL SHORTLIVED ACCORDS TERMED AS  KIGOBE-KAJAGA...ACCORDS". (SEE  www.cbinf.com./netpress.bi, RUBRIC "AGORA").