On Friday (Dec. 08), the Supreme Court of Burundi handed down a life sentence to Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni, the former prime minister.
He was found guilty of various charges, including attempting to overthrow the government, illicit enrichment, and destabilizing the economy, according to a judicial source.
Bunyoni, a former general who assumed the role of prime minister in July 2020 and was subsequently dismissed in September 2022, faced legal consequences shortly after President Evariste Ndayishimiye raised concerns about a potential coup against his administration.
The court, convening at the prison where Bunyoni was held, acceded to the prosecution’s requests and mandated the confiscation of four houses, several buildings, a land parcel, and 14 vehicles owned by Bunyoni. Additionally, five other individuals, including the two primary co-defendants—a police colonel and a senior intelligence agent—received sentences ranging from three to 15 years.
In contrast, the seventh defendant, a driver, was acquitted, as stated by the judicial source. Despite pleading not guilty to all charges at the onset of the trial and asserting a lack of evidence for his conviction, 51-year-old Bunyoni, a close associate of former president Pierre Nkurunziza, who wielded significant influence within the ruling CNDD-FDD party, now faces a life sentence.
