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Rwanda ex-spy chief’s murder case referred back to prosecutors

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Members of the Rwanda National Congress protest outside the Rwandan embassy in Pretoria in January 2014, after the killing of party founder Patrick Karegeya. PHOTO | AFP

After five years of delays, prosecutors in South Africa will again have to decide if they will issue arrest warrants for the men believed to have killed Rwanda’s former intelligence chief, Patrick Karegeya

Karegeya was an outspoken critic of President Paul Kagame, and was in exile in South Africa at the time of his murder. He was found dead in a Johannesburg hotel room in 2013.

The National Prosecuting Authority had previously decided not to prosecute anyone linked to this case—but this ruling could change all that.

The informal inquest answered three questions—whether the killers were known, the date, and the cause of death.

According to the inquest docket, the inquest judged that the killers were indeed known, but it isn’t clear if that means they were known by the victim, or by others.

In their court submission, police investigators hinted at political interference in the case.

There’s no extradition treaty between Rwanda and South Africa but Karegeya’s family wants South African authorities to issue arrest warrants for the suspects, should they travel outside Rwanda.

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