Prosecuting authorities on Tuesday announced that former Rwandan police officer Fulgence Kayishema has abandoned his application for bail and applied for asylum in South Africa.
Kayishema was accused of participating in the 1994 Rwandan genocide and has been on the run since 2001.
He was arrested in May, under a false name on a grape farm outside Cape Town as he was wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) for genocide.
He stands accused of ordering the death of 2,000 people seeking refuge in a church.
The accused has denied any involvement in violence during the genocide, but said he was “sorry” for the killings.
Kayishema is currently facing 54 charges in South Africa, mainly related to contravening the Immigration Act but including several counts of fraud.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in a statement said he could face additional charges.
The NPA said the 62-year-old accused “has abandoned his bail application and will instead launch an asylum application today”.
However, it did not indicate on what grounds Kayishema was applying for asylum.
An NPA spokesperson did not immediately respond to request for further information nor did a member of the defence team.
The state will oppose any bail application on domestic charges should the accused consider applying in future.
Kayishema remains in custody and the case was postponed to Aug. 18 for further investigation. (Reuters/NAN)