The governor of the Central Bank of Burundi, Dieudonné Murengerantwari, has been arrested and is being prosecuted for “passive corruption” and “misappropriation of public property”, according to a press release published by the country’s Ministry of Justice.
The chief of Burundi’s apex bank, who was dismissed over the weekend, is being prosecuted “for undermining the proper functioning of the national economy, passive corruption, money laundering, and misappropriation of public property” , according to the press release signed by the Attorney General, Léonard Manirakiza.
The press release also specifies that “this characterization of the facts remains provisional”.
Dieudonné Murengerantwari is currently “undergoing interrogations”, according to the press release, affirming that they are taking place “with strict respect” for rights. Mr. Murengerantwari was appointed to this position in August 2022, for a five-year term.
Since his accession to power in 2020, the President of Burundi Évariste Ndayishimiye has oscillated between signs of openness of the regime, which remains under the influence of powerful “generals”, and firm control of power with attacks on human rights denounced by NGOs. He succeeded Pierre Nkurunziza, who died in 2020, who had ruled the country with an iron fist since 2005.
Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni, former all-powerful Prime Minister of Burundi from June 2020 to September 2022, was arrested last April, and accused of undermining national security. His trial began at the end of September.
Burundi, landlocked in the Great Lakes region, is the world’s poorest country in terms of GDP per capita, according to the World Bank, with 75% of its 12 million people living below the international poverty line.
