Arusha, February 2nd, 2005 (FH ) - A prosecution witness in the trial of General Augustin Bizimungu, former Chief-of-Staff of the Rwandan army, was Tuesday accused of being “an accomplished liar” by the defence.

The witness code-named “GFU” to conceal his identity, has since last week been testifying at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).

He implicated the General in the massacres of Tutsis in the northern town of Ruhengeri during the 1994 genocide.

The witness, who is also detained in Rwanda for crimes of genocide in Ruhengeri, admitted lying to Rwandan judicial authorities before deciding to come clean and “tell the whole truth”.

Ronnie McDonald, Bizimungu’s Canadian co-counsel, who has been cross examining the witness since Monday, challenged GFU on many occasions to justify his “lies” and “contradictions” for having changed his plea.

GFU replied that he would have been “executed” if he had not understood the “benefits of pleading guilty”. He is currently serving a 14-year jail sentence.

“You have been telling lies from the very beginning because you stand to gain from testifying”, said the lawyer accusingly. “You have been systematically lying to Rwandan authorities, ICTR investigators and before this chamber”.

McDonald was particularly surprised that GFU had only named his client in the fourth statement he made in 2003, “nine years after the events”. “I did not give the complete version of events because I did not want to incriminate myself”, replied the witness.

GFU is not the first witness to admit lying to Rwandan authorities before coming to testify “under oath” at the ICTR.

Another defence lawyer in the same trial, Fabien Segatwa from Burundi, told Hirondelle News Agency that it was “regrettable”. “A person who has told lies in court, be it in Rwanda or elsewhere, should not be allowed to appear before this tribunal”, he said.

The ICTR Rules of procedure and evidence stipulates that “If a Chamber has strong grounds for believing that a witness may have knowingly and wilfully given false testimony, the Chamber may direct the Prosecutor to investigate the matter with a view to the preparation and submission of an indictment for false testimony”.

The maximum penalty for false testimony is a fine of US $ 10, 0000 or twelve months in prison or both.

General Bizimungu is jointly accused with General Augustin Ndindiliyimana, former chief of the Gendarmerie (Paramilitary Police), the former commander of the elite reconnaissance battalion, Major Francois-Xavier Nzuwonemeye, and his deputy, Captain Innocent Sagahutu.

All have pleaded not guilty to genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The so-called “Military II” trial is one of the major trials going on at the ICTR. It opened September 20, 2004 and the Prosecutor has already called seven witnesses.

Cross-examination of GFU will continue Thursday.

KN/GA/GF/FH (MLII’’’0202e)