Burundi president appeals to judiciary over corruption

Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye has made an emotional appeal to the judiciary to ensure justice is delivered to members of the public complaining about corruption.

"Don’t you feel pity for me when I am crying before you?" he asked senior members of the judiciary in a meeting.

The president said he’s been receiving piles of files from across the country from people complaining about a lack of justice.

President Ndayishimiye said corruption has meant that thousands of court cases remain pending and rulings unexecuted for years.

He said people were now "taking justice in their own hands" hence the violence being witnessed in Burundi.

The president said corruption in the judiciary was deterring foreign investors from coming into the country.

President Ndayishimiye’s comments will vindicate human rights organisations. They have in the past blamed the country’s poor human rights record on the corruption in the judiciary.

President Ndayishimiye says he is not to blame for the situation. But he may not be able to convince those who believe that he should share the responsibility in a country where other arms of government appear to bow for the executive.

Source: BBC