Bank of France gets accused of having role in 1994 Rwandan genocide

(MENAFN) The Bank of France has come under renewed scrutiny as human rights groups and researchers accuse it of potentially facilitating financial operations that contributed to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

According to reports, a new complaint alleging complicity in genocide and crimes against humanity was filed on December 4 with a Paris court unit handling crimes against humanity.

Attorneys Matilda Ferey and Joseph Breham submitted the complaint on behalf of three civil parties: Dafroza and Alain Gauthier, along with the Collective of Civil Parties for Rwanda (CPCR).

Investigators examining archival records claim the bank allowed financial transactions for the Rwandan government during the early 1990s, a period of rising political tension and preparations for mass killings. The complaint asserts that the bank either neglected to implement safeguards or continued authorizing transfers despite international warnings about the country’s escalating ethnic conflict.

Central to the case are seven transfers from an account belonging to the National Bank of Rwanda, held at the Bank of France between May and August 1994. The total, 3.17 million French francs (€486,000, or $570,942), is suspected to have funded communication equipment and weapons purchases, despite a UN arms embargo imposed on May 17 of that year. Plaintiffs argue that authorizing these transactions raises serious concerns about the bank’s oversight and possible involvement in enabling illegal acquisitions during the genocide.

The complaint heavily references testimony from international expert Kathi Lynn Austin, who stated that “precise instructions” were given to banks to facilitate transfers to Rwanda’s central account in Paris. Austin added that “when the French central bank facilitated these transactions, it should have recognized the red flags associated with them.”

Attorney Ferey criticized the slow pace of judicial proceedings in cases related to the genocide, noting that complaints such as a 2017 filing against BNP Paribas have remained largely inactive for years. Advocacy organizations argue that these financial operations may have strengthened the Rwandan regime, which later orchestrated the mass killing of over 800,000 people.

The Bank of France has not provided a detailed response but stated it has no archival record of the transfers in question, explaining that such documents are routinely destroyed after ten years.

The institution added that the amounts “could be consistent with operational expenses.”

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