Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali)
5 June 2008
Kigali — Decisions by the UN court trying suspects of the Genocide should not be used to undermine the "very visible" reforms that Rwanda has managed to put in place, the Prosecutor General has told the UN Security Council.
Rwanda had been portrayed as a country that was opposed to acquittals, which was a serious misinterpretation, Mr. Martin Ngoga told the Council that had just been presented with a report by senior officials of the same court.
Last month, judges of the court ruled against transferring the case of Yussuf Munyakazi to Rwanda on grounds that he would not be granted a fair trail. The three-member trail team said cases of government interference with the judiciary were still common.
The tribunal Chief Prosecutor Hassan B. Jallow has already appealed against the ruling that government described as 'disappointing'.
Five requests for transfer of cases to Rwanda had been filed by the Tribunal Prosecutor since May 2007 and five referral applications were pending before five benches of the Tribunal.
"Achievements in judicial reform are not intangible. They were very visible", Mr. Ngoga told the Council.
"The direction that the issue of the referral of cases was taking was of concern, because the process had the potential to undermine the trust and reputation Rwanda had painstakingly built and which other Governments trusted".
Mr. Ngoga said the closure of the tribunal slated for December should not be interpreted as amnesty for those still at-large evading arrest for their crimes. The Security Council, in a resolution adopted in 2003, scheduled for 2008 the end of the first instance trials and 2010 for the appeal cases.
Meanwhile, officials from the court say that due to an additional workload because of newly arrested persons, trials would spill over into 2009. They are asking for more funding to retain the "experienced staff".
The court is to spend up $270 million for 2008 alone which is about 12% of total Rwanda spending for the same year. The court will maintain its manpower for 2008, but that in 2009, some 339 positions (approximately 30%) will be phased out.
So far, the court has consumed up to $1.5 billion since its inception in 1995.
The conclusion of the Tribunal mandate should not become an amnesty for those not included on the condensed list, Mr. Ngoga maintained. He said the fugitives still at large were not limited to the 13 appearing on the Tribunal's list.
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