The recently dismissed central bank governor of Burundi, Dieudonné Murengerantwari, has been arrested on suspicion of money laundering and misappropriation of public assets. These charges are provisional, pending further investigations, as stated by the justice ministry. Murengerantwari was removed from his post by President Évariste Ndayishimiye just over a year after assuming office.
Burundi’s economy has faced significant challenges, including a shortage of foreign currency, periodic fuel shortages, and rising prices, leading to a cost of living crisis. Approximately 65% of the country’s 12 million population live in poverty.
The justice ministry’s statement accuses Murengerantwari of actions that undermined the national economy, passive corruption, money laundering, and misappropriation of public assets. While further details were not provided, the former governor will remain in custody during ongoing investigations.
Murengerantwari had initially been appointed to the role for a five-year term but was dismissed in his second year. He previously served as the managing director of Burundi’s state-linked development bank and has been replaced by Édouard Normand Bigendako, a member of the central bank’s board.
Notably, Murengerantwari is the second central bank governor in Africa to face legal issues this year. In Nigeria, central bank governor Godwin Emefiele was suspended in June and later charged with illegal possession of a shotgun and cartridges, allegations he denied.
, an independent military force, and allied militias in Sudan raped several dozen women and girls in West Darfur’s capital, El Geneina, and those fleeing to Chad between late April and late June 2023, Human Rights Watch said today. The assailants appear to have targeted people because of their Massalit ethnicity and, in some cases, because they were known activists.){kind=link}