The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) Tuesday began hearing the first of eight additional witnesses whom the prosecutor intends to challenge the alibi defense of the former Planning Minister Augustin Ngirabatware.
Investigator in the office of the prosecutor of the ICTR, Senegalese Massamba Ndiaye has rejected claims by the accused that he was on mission in several foreign countries, including Senegal, France, Gabon, Switzerland, Belgium, Cameroon and Togo from 21 April to July 1994.
Regarding Senegal, the former minister claims to have met during this period the country’s top officials, including Foreign Minister at the time, Moustapha Niasse.
But, the investigator said Ndiaye, M.Niasse denies receiving Ngirabatware during this period. The investigator said he had asked the Senegalese diplomat on the issue three times between January 9, 2011 and February 1.
The witness continued his testimony Wednesday.Three of the seven rebuttal witnesses are already at the ICTR in Arusha, Tanzania, while the other four will be heard by video link from Dakar.
Prosecuted for genocide and crimes against humanity, the former minister is accused of primarily been the main instigator of the massacres of Tutsis in his home commune Nyamyumba north of the country in 1994.
What he denies by denying having set foot in Nyamyumba during the massacres.Ph.D. in economics from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, Ngirabatware was in his country, teaching at the National University of Rwanda (1986-1994) and Minister of Planning (1990-1994). During his exile from July 1994, he worked in various research institutes in Gabon and France.
Arrested in Germany on 17 September 2007, it is in the hands of the ICTR since October 8, 2008.
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