Ingabire lawyer accused of manipulating witness

Prosecution and a co-accused in the case involving Victoire Umuhoza Ingabire told the court on Tuesday that they have proof her lawyer manipulated witnesses to give false testimonies mitigating her case. Ingabire is before Supreme Court in an ongoing appeal case against her eight-year imprisonment handed to her by High Court last year. A leader of FDU-Inkingi, an unregistered political party, Ingabire was convicted by the High Court of two counts of Genocide denial and conspiracy and planning to cause state insecurity. She is appealing her sentence, but a defence witness, codenamed AA, testified before the Supreme Court and told judges that she (AA) was persuaded by defence lawyer Gatera Gashabana to testify, contrary to the lawyer’s earlier account that the witness had voluntarily asked to testify. “Court should not take this lightly. The testimony that AA gave was concocted. It was actually proved that Gashabana started meeting AA back in 2010 before officially becoming Ingabire’s lawyer. Our concern is, why was he meeting her?” Prosecutor Alain Mukuralinda told the court. Prosecution also cast doubt on the witness’s integrity after she lied to court that she lives in Musanze District, and it was later proved that she actually stays in Kigali. Earlier, AA had narrated to court how one of Ingabire’s co-accused, Maj. Vital Uwumuremyi, was paid off to implicate Ingabire, a claim Uwumuremyi denied with valid proof. “She claims that I was given a cheque of Rwf300,000 while I was in Mutobo Rehabilitation Camp to testify against Ingabire. She further claims that the cheque was from CSS bank but my concern is, how could she see all those details but can’t remember if that cheque was written in my names or not,” said Uwumuremyi. “By the time I was in Mutobo, I didn’t have any identification. How would I have withdrawn money from the bank without any identification?” AA also said she recently met Ian Edwards, another defence lawyer, who also encouraged her to come forth and testify. However, pressed on the detail of the alleged discussion with Edwards, AA folded into a piece. 70 calls in 10 days Meanwhile, following claims by defence that they had not been prior communication between defence or Ingabires party with the witness, prosecution requested the court to authorise them to re-open investigations into the telephone conversation. “It was discovered that the treasurer of Ingabire’s camp, Alice Muhirwa made 70 calls in ten days to the day AA came to court to testify. Also it should be pointed out that after prosecution unveiled findings in the telephone details, Muhirwa never made these calls again,” said David Mukesha, a lawyer of co-accused Lt. Col. Tharcisse Nditurende. He added: “Ever since AA wrote to the court in what was assumed to be her voluntary request to testify, she never met Gasabana again and Muhirwa never called her again. The connection here is that AA was manipulated. Her testimony was concocted. It is clear she was promised a payment of sorts.” The hearing will resume on Monday with submissions from defence. Ingabire, who returned to the country in 2010 after years in self-imposed exile, was, among others, convicted for her role in working with elements of FDLR operating in DR Congo, with an aim of mounting subversive activities to cause insecurity in the country.

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Ingabire lawyer accused of manipulating witness