Kabuga’s wife contests assets freeze

With her husband on the run from justice, it appears that the wife of the Genocide fugitive Felicien Kabuga has taken over the supervision of her husband’s business interests in Kenya. Information available to Sunday Times shows that Mrs. Josephine Mukazitoni has lodged an application in court contesting the freezing of her husband’s assets in Kenya. Recently Kenyan authorities seized houses said to belong to Kabuga. Kenya has been accused of doing little to apprehend Kabuga who is known to have lived in Kenya. Recently a Rwandan lecturer was arrested in Kenya after being mistaken for Kabuga. According to the Standard Newspaper of Kenya, Mukazitoni who is said to reside in Belgium, has through a lawyer laid claim to Kenyan Shs50 million (Frw407 million) properties located in Nairobi’s up market Kilimani area. Mukazitoni claims to be the owner of the home. Speaking to Sunday Times in his office, the Kenyan Ambassador to Rwanda Alex Keter said that the case will help to determine who Kabuga’s business associates are, and who has been helping him elude justice. Without going into details of the case as it would be sub judicial to a case that is already before the courts, he said that Kabuga’s wife was required to give reasons why the assets should not be frozen. He also expressed confidence that Kabuga will be arrested soon. “With the extension of the ICTR, the possibility of apprehending Kabuga is very high,” the envoy asserted.The Kenyan diplomat further explained that the seizure of Kabuga’s assets will help in tracking and arresting him. “He obviously has been using his assets to elude justice, with that cut off; it becomes possible to get him.” Kabuga is accused of using his fortune to sponsor the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda. The United States has placed a $5 million bounty on his head. Ends