GENOCIDE SUSPECTS WERE SIGNATORIES TO "HATE-RADIO" BANK ACCOUNTS, SAYS UN INVESTIGATOR

Arusha, March 13, 2002 (FH) - An investigator for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) on Wednesday produced hundreds of receipts and documents of financial transactions, allegedly signed by genocide suspects Ferdinand Nahimana and Jean Bosco Barayagwiza, on behalf of "hate-radio" RTLM. The prosecution holds that the defunct Radio-television libre des Mille Collines - RTLM - was a "criminal enterprise" that fuelled the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

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Nahimana and Barayagwiza are founder members of RTLM. The prosecution also alleges that Nahimana was director of RTLM. The defence has denied this and maintains that Nahimana was only one of the many founders of the radio. The two are jointly on trial alongside former editor of 'Kangura', Hassan Ngeze, in what is known as "the media trial". The three are charged with several counts of genocide, public incitement to commit genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, complicity in genocide and crimes against humanity. Documents produced by prosecution investigator, Musonda Aaron, include RTLM bank deposit slips, RTLM stock purchase receipts and receipts for financial transactions of Nahimana's personal account. Others include a letter from the then Rwandan Minister of Defence authorising the RTLM to possess firearms. Prosecutor Simone Monasebian of the United States told the court that the prosecution would demonstrate that Nahimana shared his bank account with RTLM and vice versa. Prosecutor could be sanctionedPresiding judge for Trial chamber one of the ICTR, Navanethem Pillay of South Africa recommended on Wednesday that one of the members of the prosecution team in the media trial be sanctioned for repeatedly delaying the disclosure of documents to the defence attorneys. The documents include those about which Musonda testified on Wednesday. The prosecutor handling this witness is Monasebian. Pillay made the announcement shortly before the court adjourned for around three hours to give defence time to read through documents disclosed by the prosecution over the weekend. "Once again we have to adjourn and waste court time due to the Prosecutor's failure to hand over documents to defence in due time", said Pillay. Monasebian requested the court reverse its decision saying that she had not received the documents herself on time and therefore should not be blamed. The chamber is scheduled to deliver a decision on the matter after Musonda's testimony. The case is before Trial Chamber One of the ICTR, composed of Judges Navanethem Pillay of South Africa (Presiding), Erik Mose of Norway and Asoka de Zoysa Gunawardana of Sri Lanka. GG/JA/FH(ME-0313e)