MAKAMBA January 10th (ABP) – The Makamba High Court (TGI) sentenced five people to life criminal servitude on Tuesday, January 8, 2018, for taking part in the assassination of a currency-exchange trader, the late Emile Ntahiraja from Kibago, killed on January 3, 2019, a check by ABP revealed.
Six people, including Eric Havyarimana aka Macari, Jean Marie Niyoncuti aka Nyoni, Bonaventure Kabura alias jeyijeyi, Lévis Nduwimana alias Sedekiya, Egide Nduwumukama and Evariste Katihabwa appeared in this trial that began around 2:30 pm.
The prosecutor’s assistant Longin Nkurunziza said that those people participated in some way in the assassination of the late Ntahiraja on January 3, 2019 when he was coming from the Buhinja market, close to the Burundian-Tanzanian border.
Three of the alleged perpetrators such as Nyoni, Nduwumukama and Katihabwa, were assisted by their lawyers who pleaded for their innocence because, they said, the trial should not follow the flagrant procedure because their custody exceeded 36 hours as stipulated by the Code of Criminal Procedure in its 20-25 articles. Despite this, the prosecutor told the judges that the procedure was not violated because they were in custody for 36 hours and that afterwards, they were under arrest warrant.
After deliberation, the TGI imposed a life sentence on five people including Havyarimana, Niyoncuti, Kabura, Nduwimana and Nduwumukama. They will also have to pay an indemnity of 50 million Burundian francs to widow Joselyne Niyogusenga, that is, 10 million Burundian francs each, and pay 4% for proportional right and the legal costs. False witness, Pascal Nsengiyaremye, will have to pay a fine of 100,000 BIF. Otherwise, he will be imprisoned for six months. The TGI acquitted Evariste Katihabwa. The trial was closed around 7:10 pm.