Former Burundian prime minister appeals life sentence

He was sentenced in December to life in prison on a series of charges, including plotting to overthrow the constitutional regime, using witchcraft to threaten the life of the president, endangering national security, destabilization of the economy and illegal enrichment.

The army general, now 52, ​​has pleaded not guilty to all charges and said he should be acquitted due to lack of evidence.

The appeal hearing began Monday under high security at the Supreme Court sitting in the prison of the political capital Gitega where he is incarcerated.

“General Bunyoni has once again categorically denied any attempt to overthrow the government,” a person present at the hearing told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Bunyoni reiterated his position that there was a lack of “material evidence and an absence of legal elements” to support the accusations against him, according to the witness.

The prosecution also appealed, saying Bunyoni's sentence was too light in terms of fines and asset confiscation.

The former prime minister was arrested in April last year in Bujumbura, Burundi's main city.

A former police chief and minister of internal security, he was seen as the leader of a cabal of military leaders known as “generals” who held real political power in Burundi.

A close ally of former President Pierre Nkurunziza, Bunyoni was an influential figure in the ruling CNDD-FDD party since coming to power in 2005.

Since coming to power in June 2020, Ndayishimiye has been praised by the international community for gradually ending years of Burundi's isolation under Nkurunziza's chaotic and bloody regime.

But it has failed to improve Burundi's disastrous human rights record and the country remains one of the poorest on the planet.

str-md-txw/kjm