Following her arrival in France over the weekend, the Director of State Protocol Rose Kabuye, is expected to appear in court on a yet to be known date which the Information Minister said could be later this month.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Minister Louise Mushikiwabo, who is also the Government Spokesperson confirmed that Kabuye arrived in the French capital, Paris, and has since reported to local authorities there.

"After reporting to Paris local authorities, she will soon know when she is expected to appear in court for her charges to be mentioned and the date is likely to be later this month,” said Mushikiwabo.

Mushikiwabo confirmed that the initial court order instructed Kabuye, a former parliamentarian, to be in France by January 10 a deadline she met, "and now the long awaited justice must prevail.”

Kabuye’s arrest was motivated by indictments issued against senior Rwandan officials, formerly in the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) by French judge Jean Louis Bruguière for their alleged role in the shooting down of former president Juvenal Habyarimana’s plane.

These indictments have been challenged by the government on the basis that the alleged suspects were not given a chance to give their side of the story, before the indictments – which the court of public opinion has dismissed as politically motivated – were issued.

The Government officially challenged the legality of the 2006 indictments at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) but the process has been derailed by France’s reluctance to submit to the jurisdiction of the court.

Mushikiwabo added: "Rose is not worried and this is a very important step in achieving justice for her and the people of Rwanda in general. It shows glaring signs of victory which is underway.”

Kabuye was arrested in November last year in Germany but she requested to be transferred to France where she wanted to challenge her indictment and has since been released on bail. Her bail conditions were modified last month to allow her to travel to Rwanda for the festive season.

According to Mushikiwabo, Kabuye should have been given a chance to be heard before the ‘baseless’ indictments were made.

"Not even a terrorist is ever indicted without being heard,” she asserted.

Kabuye, together with former parliamentarian Maj Gen (rtd) Sam Kanyemera Kaka and Col. Jacob Tumwine, other former RPA officers, had earlier petitioned a French court challenging the indictments but no date has been fixed to hear the petition. 

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