Rwanda: Félicien Kabuga trial begins Sept 29 in The Hague

Félicien Kabuga, the alleged “financier” of the 1994 Tutsi genocide in Rwanda, will be tried from September 29 in The Hague where he will face charges of genocide and crimes against humanity, a United Nations judge announced Thursday.

“The Chamber orders the trial in its branch in The Hague with the opening statements from September 29 (…) and the first depositions from October 5,” said Judge Iain Bonomy, of the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MTPI), in charge of completing the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).

Kabuga, once one of Rwanda’s richest men, will face seven criminal charges, including committing genocide and crimes against humanity. He was first indicted by the former UN tribunals for war crimes in Rwanda in November 1997.

Initially, the French Court of Appeal ruled that Kabuga be transferred to Arusha. The 87-year-old evaded arrest for more than two decades, living on the outskirts of Paris under a false name.

He was finally arrested in the French capital in May 2020.

The octogenarian’s trial was initially announced for the end of 2021, but it did not hold as the health of the former businessman, who has been at odds with his lawyer for over a year, became a thorn in the side of bringing him to justice.