Burundi’s anti-corruption watchdog OLUCOME has called for an investigation into the theft of 814,957 euros ($960,000) from the country’s central bank, saying the funds were transferred to a bank in Poland after a cyberattack.
The Bank of the Republic of Burundi (BRB) confirmed that the money, equivalent to about 2.8 billion Burundian francs, was stolen in 2024 and has not yet been recovered, according to the British broadcaster the BBC.
The BBC reported that a prosecutor in Poland’s Gdansk region contacted Burundian authorities last year seeking cooperation in an investigation into the case.
Polish authorities initially believed the money belonged to REGIDESO, Burundi’s state-owned water and electricity utility, the BBC reported. The BRB subsequently informed Burundi’s Justice Ministry that the funds belonged to the central bank and not REGIDESO.
The case came to public attention again this week after the Anti-corruption watchdog OLUCOME called for greater transparency.
“In the last four or five months, we have learned that more than 800,000 euros were stolen from the BRB using false REGIDESO documents and withdrawn from a Polish bank that collaborates with the BRB,” OLUCOME Chairperson Gabriel Rufyiri told a news conference on Thursday.
“We need to know today who was involved in this theft,” Rufyiri said.
REGIDESO Director General Jean Albert Manigomba confirmed on Friday that the company was aware of the case but said no money had been withdrawn from its bank accounts.
“The theft took place. But no money was withdrawn from REGIDESO’s accounts,” Manigomba said at a news conference. He added that REGIDESO did not purchase equipment in Poland and said the BRB was the institution that had suffered the loss.
The BRB has said the 814,957 euros have not been recovered. Burundian and Polish authorities are continuing their investigations to establish how the theft was carried out and who was involved, according to the BBC.
The BRB and Polish authorities have not publicly disclosed further details about the suspected cyberattack or identified any suspects.
