The Nyarugenge Intermediate Court has once again postponed the trial of Marie-Chantal Mukanzabarushimana, who is accused of murdering her step-daughter, Elsie Akeza Rutiyombya. The new trial date has been rescheduled for July 7.
Akeza's lifeless body was discovered in a water tank at their family home in Busanza Cell, Kanombe Sector, Kicukiro District last year.
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Mukanzabarushimana, Akeza's stepmother residing in the same household, was apprehended shortly after the incident following a preliminary investigation that implicated her in the girl's demise.
During the hearing held on Wednesday, July 5, the judge highlighted that the trial's adjournment was justified due to an error committed by the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB). It was revealed that the RIB had failed to disclose the complete evidence to all relevant parties within the legal system, including the defense.
Consequently, the defense was granted only a few days to prepare their case after finally gaining access to the requested documents.
Lawyer Jean-Bosco Nubumwe, defending Mukanzabarushimana, raised the concern during the hearing. He emphasized that they were not prepared for the proceedings due to the unavailability of crucial evidence. Nubumwe argued that RIB had classified over 15 letters as private, thereby preventing public access.
He further asserted that these letters constituted vital evidence in the case and requested additional time to thoroughly review them before the trial could proceed. Therefore, he appealed for a few days to examine the aforementioned documents.
This marks the fourth postponement of the trial. The most recent session, initially scheduled for June 22, had to be adjourned after Mukanzabarushimana objected to the judge, as he refused to suspend the hearing for the third time. Her argument was that she was not ready for trial with just one lawyer instead of two.
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The prosecution alleges that Mukanzabarushimana planned Akeza's murder, based on witness testimony from her maid. The maid claimed that Mukanzabarushimana sent her to the shop multiple times to create an opportunity to be alone with Akeza, whom she subsequently drowned in the water tank.
The prosecutor also revealed that Mukanzabarushimana was engaged in a dispute with her husband over his relationships with other women, resulting in children outside their marriage.
Akeza was born out of wedlock to Agathe Niragire and Florian Rutiyomba, who later married Mukanzabarushimana, but the latter denied any involvement in the death, asserting that she had an alibi as she was in the hospital when the child was discovered deceased.