Burundi: Central Bank governor prosecuted for corruption

The governor of the Central Bank of Burundi was arrested and is being prosecuted in particular for "passive corruption" and "misappropriation of public property", according to a press release published Tuesday by the Ministry of Justice.

Dieudonné Murengerantwari, who was dismissed on Sunday, 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, which 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.