Burundi - August 2022

Burundi’s President, Évariste Ndayishimiye, issued a presidential decree dismissing 40 magistrates for “corruption” and “mismanagement”. According to the decree, the magistrates, who are from the higher and lower courts, are to receive prison sentences ranging from 1 to 30 years in length. These are the first magistrates to be dismissed by Ndayishimiye as part of his anti-corruption drive. In September 2021 the United Nation’s Commission of Inquiry on Burundi identified judicial corruption as a prevalent issue but criticized the measures taken by Ndayishimiye’s government to tackle it, stating that they were aimed at strengthening executive control over the judiciary and were likely to be counterproductive.

Sources: Anadolu Agency, Deutsche Welle, United Nations