Burundian Ombudsman Mohamed Rukara Denies Graft Charges

I request you to use all your powers and investigate my involvement in the case that Honorable Manasse cited

BUJUMBURA (Xinhua) -- In a letter sent to the speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) on Friday, Burundian Ombudsman Mohamed Rukara denied charges from Manasse Nzobonimpa, senior ruling party official and Burundian MP at the EALA, according to which he embezzled public funds.

The Burundian ombudsman told reporters that he wrote to EALA Speaker Abdirahin Abdi Haithar, requesting him to urge MP Nzobonimpa to provide evidence for the charges against him.

“I request you to use all your powers and investigate my involvement in the case that Honorable Manasse Nzobonimpa cited. He is accusing me to have been among officials who illicitly pocketed 13 million U. S. dollars given by the government of Uganda ,” Rukara said in the letter.

The Burundian ombudsman requested that MP Manasse Nzobonimpa provide evidence for declarations he made on local media on Thursday.

He also requested that he should be informed of the outcomes of the EALA speaker’s investigations.

In addition, the Burundian ombudsman sent a copy of the letter to presidents of the five East African Community ( EAC ) member states.

The EAC bloc is made up of Burundi , Kenya , Rwanda , Tanzania and Uganda . The EALA is one of the top organs of the EAC and each of the five countries contributes nine MPs to the legislative institutions.

Speaking to local media on Thursday, Nzobonimpa said, “The government of Uganda under President Museveni refunded 13 million dollars to the government of Burundi —a debt requested under the rule of Burundi ’s former President Colonel Jean Baptiste Bagaza. All that money disappeared in the pockets of four ruling party officials.”

Col. Jean Baptiste Bagaza ruled Burundi from 1976 to 1987.

According to Nzobonimpa, the four officials of the ruling Conseil National pour la Defense de la Democratie-Forces de Defense de la Democratie (CNDD-FDD) include Rukara, CNDD-FDD Chairman Jeremie Ngendakumana, Finance Minister Clotilde Nizigama and Transport and Infrastructure Minister Saidi Kibeya.

Nzobonimpa said he accompanied them to Uganda to ensure the follow up of the processes of getting the money refunded. He said the money was given, but was not deposited to the state treasury.

“I couldn’t go to Uganda and negotiate money on behalf of the government while I was not in the government. He is telling lies. I just went to Uganda when I was a senator, and if I remember well, I went to Uganda as the Chairman of the party’s Wise Persons’ Council. We were a team of party officials, including Manasse Nzobonimpa the then Secretary General of the party, and we had gone there to inform neighbors about the changes in the ruling party,” the Burundian ombudsman said.

Hussein Radjabu had been dismissed as chairman of the ruling party and had been replaced by Ngendakumana, who also rejected Nzobonimpa’s accusations. He told local media on Friday that he could not negotiate the money on behalf of the government while he was the party chairman.

Finance Minister Nizigama also rejected accusations, saying she could not negotiate reimbursement of a debt whose contract was being implemented without any problem.

According to the contract, the minister said, the reimbursement would go through supplying, by the government of Uganda , school material to the government of Burundi .

Nzobonimpa is the Secretary General of the CNDD-FDD’s wise persons’ council, the party’s highest organ.

He was one of the top leaders of the then CNDD-FDD rebel movement. He was a colonel at the era of the rebellion.