DRC delays ruling on vote fraud

2006-11-22 18:44

Kinshasa - The hearing on vote fraud charges has been delayed and rescheduled for a new venue in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital after parts of the country's supreme court caught fire on Tuesday amid gunfire and street fighting among supporters of the runner-up, said officials on Wednesday.

The fire that destroyed sections of the court was dosed off late on Tuesday and Congolese army forces were stationed around the building Wednesday. Papers were still smouldering in the back of a courtroom on Wednesday morning.

Azarias Ruberwa, one of four vice-presidents in DRC's transitional government, said the deadline for a ruling on the fraud accusations will be extended and the trial will move to a different building. He did not say when the trial would restart or set a new deadline.

According to DRC's electoral laws, the court can take a maximum of seven days to examine charges of cheating brought by Jean-Pierre Bemba, the second-place finisher in a landmark vote meant to steer the country toward peace and democracy after decades of ethnic fighting and authoritarian rule.

Gunshots heard, cars set alight

The official vote tally gave interim President Joseph Kabila about 58% of the vote, compared with nearly 42% for Bemba.

The trial had just started on Tuesday when fighting erupted among about 200 Bemba supporters rallying outside.

Gunshots were heard and cars were set on fire before United Nations forces secured the area. No injuries were reported.

The two-story court building caught fire in the melee and about a third of the structure appeared to have been gutted by the fire.

The government has claimed that the violence were started by soldiers dressed in civilian clothes who were mixed in with the crowd and fired shots.

Bemba's camp had steadfastly denied any role in the fighting, adding that they would have no reason to disrupt the trial.

Ruberwa, who visited the destroyed building on Wednesday, said that some electoral materials had been destroyed in the flames, but none from the October 29 second-round presidential vote being contested by Bemba.

- AP