CEOAFRICA.com gathered that an order has been made by a court siting in France for the release of a former Rwandan colonel alleged to have participated in the 1994 genocide.

Laurent Serubuga, a Hutu, served as Rwanda’s deputy army chief-of-staff during the genocide period.

Sources disclosed that the 77-year-old was arrested in July in northern France under an international arrest warrant issued by Rwanda.

Speaking after the judgement, Paulin Serubuga, son to the accused, expressed the kind of huge relieve felt by his family.

"We were expecting a political trial. The lies of Rwanda have not been heard before the judges," he said.

According to findings, Mr Serubunga was released by the court on the ground that at the time when the atrocities were committed, genocide and crimes against humanity were not punishable by law in Rwanda, therefore the accused could not be tried retroactively for crimes that were not part of the penal code

An estimated 800,000 people, mostly minority Tutsis, were killed by the ethnic majority Hutus in 1994.