27.08.07 - ICTR/RENZAHO - FORMER PREFECT DENIED TO STEAL AND SELL THE PROPERTIES OF THE POPULATION

Arusha, 27 August 2007 (FH) - The former prefect of Kigali, Colonel Tharcisse Renzaho who is accused before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) denied on Monday one of his charges of stealing and selling the properties of arrested people on 4th of April 1994.   

1 min 16Approximate reading time

He refuted the allegations of participating in an operation occurred in thatnight that resulted to the arrest of 8,000 people including foreigners. He explained that he could take any measure upon what happened because he had no security body and competent personnel.
 
Being the prefect of Kigali, he was requested to provide the information concerning 8,000 people arrested following the attack occurred. For Renzaho, the main duty assigned to him by the sorting committee was to check out if those people arrested were the habitants of the prefecture or if they were arrested in the neighborhood of Kigali city and its communes.  
 
Renzaho said that the government shortly after the event set a sorting committee of 12 people including magistrate, and members of gendarmerie with the target of sorting the suspects. That committee was directed by the minister of defence.
 
He said that his office was requested to provide the files of arrested ones to facilitate the members of the sorting committee to keep only the suspects of being the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) followers and its information seekers and release those who were not involved in such operation. He added that the attackers were not from Rwanda but from Uganda.
 
Accused of genocide and crimes against humanity notably for murder and rape, Renzaho, 63, has been on trial since 8 January 2007. He began to testify in his own defense on Monday morning.
 
Renzaho is a graduate in military social sciences and attended a high course of general staff in Germany from 1887 to 1989. Among other duties, he held a post of head of platoon and commander of a company, and an officer of the general staff working in different departments including the combat unit.
 
He was appointed by the president as a prefect of Kigali in October 1990.
 
AS/PB
© Hirondelle News Agency