Former Burundi’s Prime Minister, Alain Guillaume Bunyoni, on Friday, December 8, 2023, was condemned to a life sentence by the supreme court in central prison of Gitega.
General Bunyoni was accused of all seven accounts including the attempts to kill the head of state by using fetishes, reversing the constitutional regime, hampering the country’s economy and embezzlement.
During the period of the court hearing, he alongside his inmates prosecuted in the same case, denied all charges against him citing that the public prosecutor failed to provide any proof.
At the end of the court hearing period, they had requested for acquittal.
Other verdicts over him(Bunyoni)
Besides the life sentence punishment , Bunyoni will lose all his properties and four houses alongside 14 vehicles including one of the type of “Hummer”.
In his case, General Bunyoni is prosecuted alongside other six. There are 2 drivers, 1 engineer, a former police officer, 1 intelligence service agent and a chief of hill of Mubone, one of Bujumbura hills, the tiny city where Bunyoni had fled to before his arrest.
Other court’s decisions
Desire Uwamahoro, a former high profile police officer and Samuel Destino Bapfumukeko, former intelligence service agent, were condemned to 15 years each.
Melchiade Uwimana, a former Mubone hill was condemned to 3 years while Isaac Banigwaninzigo, his driver, and Come Niyonsaba, his engineer coped 3 years each as Didace Igiraneza, another driver was acquitted.
The main case
The president of the supreme court, Emmanuel Gateretse, proclaimed the court’s decisions over Bunyoni alongside with six.
As it was prior to the court hearing to kick off, the security was extremely tight. The audience had to be carefully checked and left aside pens, papers, everything that can be suspicious of taking pictures or videos.
After the proclamation, yet the prosecuted having not their lawyers, Bunyoni was heard solacing his inmates that the justice is not limited by here which means that they could make an appeal.
General Bunyoni,51, was arrested in April 2023 after six months of dismissal as a prime minister in the first Evariste Ndayishimiye’s government, the current head of state.
During the court hearing, it was still unclear over the period in which he committed those charges as he was sacked in such a top position after almost 15 years holding several high positions in the government.
