Cape Town - More charges were expected to be added against captured fugitive, Ukiliho Kayishema Fulgence, who will stay behind bars until Friday after the State was granted more time to investigate since his arrest last Thursday.
Fulgence, who pretended to be a Burundian national with the name Fulgence Dende-Minana, has been charged with two counts of fraud and three counts of transgression of the Immigration Act.
After being on the run since 2001, the 61-year-old was arrested on Thursday at a grape farm in Paarl on an Interpol Red Notice issued by the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (UN IRMCT).
He was wanted by the IRMCT in connection with orchestrating the killing of 2 000 Tutsi refugees – women, men, children, and elderly – at the Nyange Catholic Church during the 1994 genocide of Tutsi in Rwanda.
A multi-disciplinary team in South Africa including Crime Intelligence, the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco), the Department of Justice, and the National Prosecuting Authority led by the Hawks spearheaded his arrest.
At the time of his arrest, he was living under a false identity – Donatien Nibashumba.
After Fulgence’s first court appearance in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Friday, NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said: “The State alleges that on January 20, 2000, the accused unlawfully, falsely and with intent to defraud and to prejudice the Department of Home Affairs gave out and pretended to be Fulgence Dende-Minana, and that he was a Burundian national.
“On June 10, 2004, he again ... pretended to be Fulgence Dende-Minana, a Burundian national when applying for formal recognition of refugee status although he knew that his real name is Fulgence Kayishema, a Rwandan national.
“The state also charges the accused on two counts of contravention of Section 49(1)(a) of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002, read with Section 1(1) of the Act in that on May 24, 2023, unlawfully and wrongfully remained in the country after his refugee status expired on June 9, 2006.
“He also unlawfully and wrongfully for purposes of entering and remaining in the country, made false representation by conduct, statement, or otherwise. He was also charged with contravention of Section 37(b) of the Refugees Act 130 of 1998, read with Section 1 of the said act in that on May 24, 2023, he unlawfully and wrongfully failed to comply with or contravened the conditions subject to which any visa had been issued to him under the act,” said Ntabazalila.
State prosecutor Nathan Adriaanse argued that it was in the interest of justice for the court to grant a postponement.
“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,” said Adriaanse.
Cape Times