Burundi anti-graft activist freed
2012-02-21 22:05
-
Reef Fishes and Corals
This colourful guide contains concise information on 234 reef fish and 36 coral species found along...
Now R175.00
buy now
Bujumbura - A Burundian anti-graft activist detained two weeks ago for criticising the justice minister over alleged corruption was freed on Tuesday.
"I am happy to be freed from prison where I spent two weeks for no reason, because all that I said is true and has been spoken about by several senior officials in the country," said Faustin Ndikumana.
Ndikumana had written in a complaint letter that candidates had been obliged to pay $1 450 for jobs at the judiciary and that Justice Minister Pascal Barandaiye was "partly responsible for this state of affairs".
Ndikumana, who heads a local anti-corruption organisation, was released after paying €565 bail, but was barred from leaving the Bujumbura region, travelling to the airport and border regions and ordered to report to court every Thursday.
On Friday, a court had ordered that he remain in prison.
"This is another odd thing about Burundi judiciary. The court ruled on Friday that I remain in detention, and here I am freed four days later," Ndikumana said.
According to diplomatic sources, Ndikumana was freed following external pressure, notably from the European Union - Burundi's main donor.
Burundi is the most corrupt country in east Africa, according to Transparency International, and its judiciary is often condemned as the country's most corrupt institution.
An anti-corruption watchdog took Burundi's government before an East African court in December over allegations it embezzled millions of dollars.
