FBI INVESTIGATES MANIRUMVA MURDER

S E C R E T BUJUMBURA 000222


DEPT FOR AF/EX; DS/IP/AF; DS/IP/ITA; NAIROBI PASS TO LEGATT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/05/2019
TAGS: ASEC PGOV BY
SUBJECT: FBI INVESTIGATES MANIRUMVA MURDER

REF: A. BUJUMBURA 188

B. BUJUMBURA 198


Classified By: Ambassador Patricia Moller for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (S) SUMMARY: In response to the Ambassador,s formal
offer of FBI support, Burundi,s First Vice President, with
the full concurrence of the President, invited the Bureau to
assist in the investigation of the brutal April 8 murder of
leading anti-corruption investigator Ernest Manirumva. While
FBI Special Agent Mark Horton of the Nairobi Legal Attach,s
Office initially encountered significant resistance from the
Independent Commission in charge of investigating the case,
the Ambassador,s subsequent April 29th call on the 1st Vice
President opened doors, enabling Horton to examine the
evidence, make an informed assessment and plan for future
assistance. Nevertheless, indications that some individuals
in the police and/or intelligence service may be involved
could mean further obstruction during the course of the
investigation. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) On April 20, Ambassador Moller offered FBI assistance
to the Government of Burundi in investigating the murder of
anti-corruption NGO OLUCOME's vice president and chief
investigator, Ernest Manirumva (ref A); the GoB accepted the
offer April 21. In an April 28 meeting with Special Agent
Horton and the RSO, however, Stanislas Nimpagaritse, the
president of the Independent Commission assigned to
investigate the case, refused to show Horton the evidence
accumulated to that point, stating that he had no orders to
do so. Nimpagaritse insisted that he first needed permission
from the Prosecutor General, who was out of the country.
Further, Nimpagaritse advised Horton that the Commission
needed only laboratory help from the FBI, and claimed that it
wasn,t necessary for the Bureau to help with conducting
interviews or collecting evidence. Nimpagaritse stressed,
however, that the victim,s family was holding evidence they
had collected from the crime scene which they refused to
release to the Commission, and suggested that Horton could
help by obtaining that evidence and immediately turning it
over to the Commission.


3. (C) Because of this lack of cooperation, Ambassador
Moller, Horton and the RSO met with 1st Vice-President Yves
Sahinguvu on April 29 to clarify the FBI,s role. The 1st
Vice-President assured the Ambassador that he would do
everything he could to ensure that the FBI was given complete
access to all evidence and received full cooperation from the
Commission. He underscored the GoB,s commitment to
conducting a thorough, transparent investigation, fully aided
and supported by the FBI, to demonstrate that the process is
genuine. He promised to convey instructions to the Ministers
of Justice and Internal Security.


4. (C) On April 30 the Burundian Prosecutor General asked
Horton for a meeting and apologized for the previous
"misunderstanding." The PG assured Horton that the FBI would
have unfettered access to evidence and witnesses and that the
Commission was ready to be as helpful as possible. The
Commission itself, noticeably more helpful than at the
previous meeting, had set up an office where Horton was
invited to examine all of the investigative reports including
witness statements and phone records. Horton returned to
Nairobi May 1 to prepare a preliminary report and plan for
pursuing the investigation.


5. (S) COMMENT: The Manirumva murder has caused serious
concern among the international and NGO communities, and
inspired a strong sense in this conspiracy-prone nation that
the government or some elements thereof are behind it.
Manirumva was known to be investigating cases involving
corruption at high levels among the police, intelligence
services, Finance Ministry and others. Consequently, the
news that the GoB had accepted the offer of FBI assistance
was greeted with significant relief and hope that the real
perpetrators and their masters - whoever they are - will be
brought to justice.


6. (S) The 1st Vice President, who discussed the FBI
assistance offer with President Nkurunziza, seems genuinely
committed to pursuing the case wherever it leads. He clearly
understood that an FBI report stating that the GoB was
uncooperative in the investigation would feed the conspiracy
theorists and convince the public that the government was
indeed behind the assassination ) a particularly
unattractive result as the ruling party campaigns for
re-election in 2010.


7. (S) Nevertheless, despite the 1st VP,s commitment, other
members of the investigative team appeared reluctant to
vigorously pursue the investigation. For example, while much
of the evidence shown to Horton appeared in order, there were
several anomalies. Horton discovered that the victim,s cell
phone records stopped at 19:00 the day of his murder,
although it is believed that the murder occurred sometime
after 23:00. When asked why the records did not cover the
hours immediately surrounding the murder, police dismissed
the records gap and stated without further explanation that
the later records were somehow more difficult to obtain, and
that the police were still waiting on the phone company to
deliver them. One witness, however, claims that he saw a man
in a police uniform at the victim,s home make a phone call
to the victim,s phone well after 19:00. Similarly, the
president of the Commission summarily dismissed a report from
an eyewitness stating that he saw eight men, three wearing
police uniforms, in the victim,s house the night of the
murder. However, two informants currently external to the
police investigation corroborate this story, and say that
they believe the powerful intelligence service and police
were involved.


8. (S) Whether the conspiracy theorists have gotten this
right, whether, as others conjecture; President Nkurunziza is
using the FBI,s arms-length investigation to rid himself of
the now too-powerful head of internal security Adolphe
Nshimirimana (who may well be implicated); or whether the
President and 1st VP genuinely want to find the murderers;
the FBI is distinct value added to this process. Whether a
perpetrator(s) is identified, or even if the investigation is
stymied, the fact that the U.S. is working to bring justice
to a population weary of criminals who act with impunity
sends a strong message of U.S. commitment to Burundi. And if
the investigation is stymied ) a fact which Post would plan
to publicize -- the population will receive a strong message
about its leaders, commitment to genuine justice. END
COMMENT.


MOLLER