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yesterday

Banque de France Faces Genocide Complicity Complaint Over 1994 Rwanda Transfers

The case seeks judicial scrutiny of alleged embargo-era transfers that plaintiffs link to arms purchases, with fact-finding hindered by destroyed records.

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Des milices hutus au Rwanda, en juillet 1994.
La Banque de France est visée par une plainte pour complicité de génocide et de crimes contre l'humanité, 31 ans après l'extermination des Tutsi au Rwanda

Overview

  • Plaintiffs filed the complaint on December 4 with Paris crimes-against-humanity judges, accusing the French central bank of complicity in genocide and crimes against humanity.
  • The filing alleges seven transfers from the National Bank of Rwanda between May 5 and July 17, 1994 totaling 3.17 million francs (about €486,000).
  • Beneficiaries cited include Alcatel, which allegedly received 435,000 francs on May 5, and Rwandan embassies in Egypt and Ethiopia that plaintiffs say helped facilitate arms purchases during a UN embargo.
  • The Banque de France says preliminary searches found no trace of the transactions and attributes gaps to rules requiring destruction of banking records after ten years.
  • The move extends ongoing scrutiny of French banks, with a separate BNP Paribas probe opened in 2017 still active; the 1994 genocide killed more than 800,000 people, according to the UN.