The defence lawyer of genocide suspect, Leon Mugesera, has stepped down on claims that he has never been paid for the services he offered.Donat Mutunzi has since January been the sole defence lawyer in the case.Mugesera’s case is yet to start as he is still battling with the pre-trial session which has taken about four months rotating in both the Intermediate and High courtsSpeaking to The New Times, Mutunzi neither confirmed nor denied that he stepped down and instead referred the newspaper to a story published by the ICTR news agency, Hillondelle news.“No comment is a comment, just take that…but there is a story written about me on Hillondelle news website,” said MutunziHillondelle news quoted him saying his client has not paid him a single coin ever since he started defending him.“Ever since he arrived in Rwanda, he has not given me a single coin and I have not been able to communicate with members of his family, this is not pro bono,” Mutunzi told Hillondelle newsIn a related development, the High Court, yesterday, rejected Mugesera’s appeal against a decision by the Nyarugenge Intermediate Court which denied him two more months to study his dossier.No date has been set yet for the next court session in the intermediate court.
