Rwandan sentenced to 30 years in prison for 1994 genocide

A Rwandan man extradited from Norway was sentenced on Friday to 30 years in prison for genocide committed in Rwanda 21 years ago.

The High Court in Kigali found Charles Bandora guilty of three charges of conspiracy to genocide and murder as a crime against humanity.

Bandora, who was extradited from Norway in March 2013, is said to have committed the crimes in the former Ngenda Commune, or Bugesera district, in eastern Rwanda, where he was the vice president of then ruling political party known as MRND.

Bandora, also a former influential businessman in the area, was reported to have incited the killing of between 500 and 600 Tutsi refugees.

Following the verdict, Bandora announced that he will appeal to a higher court.

The court heard that Bandora participated in a meeting on April 7, 1994 which planned the killings.

The prosecution also alleged that Bandora supplied weapons, vehicles, food and clothes to criminal gangs.

The court said the prosecution could not prove all the charges as there were contradictions with eye-witness accounts.

The court also said there was no evidence to prove Bandora's role in killings of genocide victims at Ruhuha Parish.

In handing down the verdict, the judge said Bandora was given a lighter sentence because he was cooperative during the proceedings.

After the verdict, Bandora's relatives who were in court complained that it was a heavy sentence. Endi