Cape Town - The case against the genocide-accused Rwandan fugitive who was arrested at a Paarl grape farm on Wednesday has been postponed for a week to allow for further investigations.
The State has expressed it intends to add more charges against fugitive Rwandan Fulgence Kayishema, 61, who had been wanted since 1994.
He appeared at the Cape Town Magistrates Court on Friday charged with two counts of fraud and three counts of transgression of the Immigration Act.
He was arrested on Wednesday after he had been placed on the Interpol Red Notice. At the time of his arrest, he was living under a false identity of Donatien Nibashumba.
Kayishema is alleged to have orchestrated the killing of 2 000 women, men and children at a church in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide.
NPA regional spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila said that the State alleged that in January 2000, Kayishema gave out and pretended to another person by giving a wrong name and stating he was a Burundian national.
“He did the same in 2004 when he applied for a formal refugee status. He also stayed in the country illegally,” Ntabazalila said.
Ntabazalila further added that the state asked for the case to be postponed for seven days for investigation as it also intends to add more charges. It also indicated that it would oppose bail.
“His case has been postponed until June 2 2023, for further investigation,” Ntabazalila said.
Meanwhile, the Chief Prosecutor for the UN's International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, Serge Brammertz, said Kayishema’s arrest “ensures that he will finally face justice for his alleged crimes.”
“Genocide is the most serious crime known to humankind. The international community has committed to ensure that its perpetrators will be prosecuted and punished.
“This arrest is a tangible demonstration that this commitment does not fade and that justice will be done, no matter how long it takes,” he said.
IOL