French bank accused of complicity in Rwandan genocide

Paris-based bank BNP Paribas has been accused of complicity in the 1994 Rwandan genocide over a transfer of money to an arms dealer, a French prosecutor said on Monday.

According to state broadcaster Franceinfo TV, Paris prosecutors opened a full-scale inquiry into the genocide when three non-governmental organizations filed a complaint on the matter in June.

The bank's share value fell nearly 1.25 percent on the Paris stock market Monday.

France's government was also accused of complicity in the genocide by supplying arms to Rwanda's government.

The Rwandan government last year released a list of 22 former and serving French army officials who allegedly played a role in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi population that left nearly 1 million people dead.

France's highest court on Sept. 15 rejected the request of a researcher who wanted to access the presidential archive on the Rwanda issue.

Although former President Francois Hollande had decided to open Rwanda archive in 2015, the public cannot access the files that were restricted as a state secret by then-President Francois Mitterrand.