Etienne Davignon, a former Belgian diplomat and EU commissioner implicated in the 1961 killing of Congolese independence icon Patrice Lumumba, has died aged 93, his family told AFP Monday.
For decades an influential figure in politics, Davignon was ordered in March to stand trial over his role leading up to Lumumba's killing in the former Belgian colony -- a decision he had appealed against.
Davignon was a novice diplomat at the time of the assassination, which was carried out with the aid of Belgian mercenaries after Lumumba, the first prime minister of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, was ousted in a coup.
Prosecutors accused Davignon of "participation in war crimes" over his role in the "unlawful detention and transfer" of Lumumba, and for the ousted Congolese leader being denied a fair trial.
Davignon was also accused of "humiliating and degrading treatment", although not of direct involvement in Lumumba's killing.
Davignon denied all the charges.
The trial would have made him the first Belgian official to face justice in the 65 years since Lumumba was executed.
With the passing bringing the case to an end, representatives for Lumumba's family said they would file a fresh lawsuit against the Belgian state.
"Mr Davignon's death cannot erase Belgium's legal responsibility for the assassination of Patrice Lumumba," said Wolfgang Kaleck, a rights lawyer and legal adviser to the family.
"The death of the last living accused does not close the historical record," the family added in a statement.
Davignon entered the diplomatic service in 1959, and rose through the ranks after his early involvement in Congolese independence talks.
In the early 1980s, he gained more prominence when he was named a vice-president in charge of industry of the European Commission.
He later held several high-profile roles in the Belgian business world, including at Societe Generale de Belgique and Brussels Airlines.
In 2018, he was rewarded for his services by King Philippe, who gave him the title of count.
"Belgium has lost a truly great statesman. The King has lost a very dear friend," the royal palace wrote on social media.
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Société Générale
