More than 50 accusations, including fraud for fabricating documentation to enter South Africa, are brought against Fulgence Kayishema.
Fulgence Kayishema, a former police officer who is currently on trial for his alleged involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, abandoned a bail plea and has now asked for asylum in South Africa, according to the prosecution on Tuesday.
After eluding punishment for nearly three decades, Kayishema was apprehended last month at a grape estate in Paarl, outside of Cape Town, in a joint operation by UN investigators and South African authorities.
He was charged with genocide and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), and he is suspected of orchestrating the murder of more than 2,000 people who were seeking safety in a church in Rwanda.
Despite denying any role in violence during his initial court appearance in May, Kayishema acknowledged he was “sorry” for the event.
According to local media, quoting the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the 62-year-old suspect, who made a brief appearance at the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, is facing 54 offences, including fraud for fabricating documents to enter South Africa and breaking immigration and refugee laws.
According to NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila, the accusations against Kayishema were served to her attorneys on June 9.
According to Ntabazalila, who was quoted by South African news outlet IOL, “Today, Fulgence’s attorney, Juan Smuts, confirmed that they did consult with their client, and he instructed them that he was abandoning his bail application at this stage.”
Ntabazalila reaffirmed his prior claim that the state was against bail.
For further investigation, the case has been delayed for August 18. Kayishema is still in detention.
The UN tribunal demands that the defendant be sent to Rwanda for trial after being extradited to one of its courts in Arusha, Tanzania.
The 100 days of violence that erupted in the East African nation between April and July 1994 resulted in the deaths of about 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
