BUJUMBURA August 14th (ABP) – The new magistrates at the Supreme Court took the oath before the President of the Republic, Evariste Ndayishimiye, on Friday August 11, 2023, at the Ntare Rushatsi House. They were appointed by decree on July 25, 2023.
They are the president of the judicial House at the said Court, Mrs. Rose Nkorerimana and eight judges at the same Court, namely, Mrs. Modeste Baragengana, Mrs. Clotilde Bizimana, Mrs. Clarisse Kaneza, Mr. Laurent Havyarimana, Mrs. Josiane Habonimana, Mr. Thomas Ntukamazina, Mr. Alexis Nkundwanimana and Mr. Déo Ntunzwenimana.
The President of the Republic wished to provide advice to those newcomers to the Supreme Court, recalling that the country has been engaged in a battle against injustice. He invited them to make this commitment their own.
According to President Ndayishimiye, during government trips, more than 80% of the population reveal that injustice and poverty are the main evils of society. For Mr. Ndayishimiye, without justice, there is no development.
The President of the Republic has indicated that he has made the fight against impunity his own. He unfortunately deplored that some magistrates are against this measure. The latter only perpetuate impunity while the country is committed to fighting against this evil. The Supreme Court is called upon to support the Head of State in this fight against impunity.
President Ndayishimiye insisted that Burundi must not accept being accused of being a country with impunity by the United Nations. He called on the magistrates of the Supreme Court, “General Staff of Justice”, to serve as a model for other courts and tribunals.
To achieve this, he recalled that this Court has the obligation to make inspections in other courts and tribunals to check whether they are working according to the law and, if not, to rectify the situation.
Magistrates who are guilty of professional misconduct must be punished, he insisted. He encouraged them not to be afraid of making good decisions even in front of those who say they are “above the law”. He reiterated his support for that Court, in the application of the law, without exception. He asked the Supreme Court to take strategies for the liquidation of the files, starting with the finalization of the cases handled and whose appeals have been exhausted. Then, the Supreme Court was invited to take care in detail of the cases whose enforcement has been challenged, to finish with the analysis of the cases still pending in court.
The President of the Republic stressed that it is after the liquidation of all these files that the population will have confidence in justice. The liquidation is facilitated by the reduction in offenses and the work carried out by the village notables, the President of the Republic specified.