Cape Town - Rwandan national and genocide crimes suspect Fulgence Kayishema, who was arrested on a farm in Paarl last week, will be back in court on Friday after the State completes its investigations.
Kayishema appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Friday charged with two counts of fraud and three of transgression of the Immigration Act. He is being held at Pollsmoor Prison after the court granted the State a seven-day postponement to continue with its investigation.
The State asked for more time as it seeks to add more charges against him.
Kayishema is a former senior policeman in Rwanda where he stands accused of ordering the deaths of 2 000 people hiding in a church during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Kayishema, who waved a Bible around in court, is accused of having “unlawfully, falsely and with intent to defraud and to prejudice the Department of Home Affairs” by pretending to be a Burundian national, Fulgence Dende-Minana, since January 20, 2000.
State prosecutor Nathan Adriaanse told the court that Kayishema knowingly used the same alias on June 10, 2004, when applying for formal recognition of refugee status.
Kayishema is also unlawfully and wrongfully remaining in the country after his refugee status expired on June 9, 2006.
Opposing Kayishema’s bail application, the State cited the fact that there was an outstanding warrant of arrest for him issued on March 8, 2019.
They also argued that he was indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) which was established in November 1994 by the UN Security Council which charged Kayishema with genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, and extermination (crimes against humanity).
Advocate Adriaanse said: “We are going to oppose bail as we intend to add more charges related to the Immigration and Refugees Act as more evidence was obtained during his arrest.”
The court agreed with the application and ordered that the address where the accused was arrested not be publicised.
The case was postponed to Friday for further investigation.