Central African Republic: Zakaria Chetou, also known as Noureddin, sentenced to maximum sentence

On Monday, 22 July, the first criminal trial in Bangui yielded its first case and the first conviction. The Bangui Court of Appeal found Zakaria Chetou, also known as Noureddine, guilty of intentional homicide and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

In front of the bar, Zakaria Chetou aka Noureddine is introduced as one of the former leaders of the Km5 self-defense group in “3”.^th Bangui Station. The latter has been under arrest since January 2021 for premeditated homicide.

According to the order filed by the judge, he is the murderer of two people in the three years, including Jean-Paul Sankagui, a pastor of the La Mange Christian Church.^th On January 7, 2017, the church and the pastor’s home were burned in the Bangui district. The trial was conducted in the presence of several witnesses, most of whom were relatives of the victims. Each of them was questioned by the judge to testify and explain the circumstances of the assassination of the church leader. These testimonies unanimously found Zakaria Chetou, also known as Noureddin, responsible for the facts.

In his indictment, 3^th After hearing the testimony, Attorney General Maxime Mazot, representing the Bangui prosecutor’s office, asked the court to reclassify the crime from premeditated homicide to assassination. This charge therefore requires the maximum penalty: life imprisonment.

Self-defense?

The defendant’s lawyer, Sole Bomoko, described his client’s actions in his complaint as self-defense. A defense rejected by the prosecution. He also asked the court to reclassify the first charge. After a moment’s deliberation, the court, chaired by Joachim Pessire, handed down a verdict that partly followed the prosecutor’s approach. The charge remained intentional homicide, and the penalty was lifelong hard labor.

The first criminal proceedings at the Bangui Court of Appeal will continue until the end of August next year, with a total of 62 cases pending.

– Also read: Central African Republic: Bangui Court of Appeal opens first criminal session of 2024