Burundi agrees 'golden parachute' including luxury villa for outgoing presidents - three months before incumbent steps down

A luxury villa and £400,000 cheque are just some of the perks included Burundi’s eyebrow-raising ‘golden parachute’ presidential retirement package, introduced just months before the incumbent steps down.

Pierre Nkurunziza, the Burundian president, who has ruled the East African state for 15 years, will be the sole beneficiary of the lavish gifts when he leaves office in May.

The package was introduced on Wednesday and represents a fortune in Burundi, which is still reeling from a 13-year civil war that killed more than 300,000 people, and where 71.8 per cent of the population live in poverty.

A diplomat in Burundi, who wished to remain anonymous, told the AFP: “The benefits that will be given to a president at the end of his mandate are exorbitant if one takes into account the crisis in the country, but it is a positive measure as it seems to indicate very clearly that Nkurunziza will in fact not run for the presidency."

In 2015, Mr Nkurunziza’s unconstitutional but ultimately successful decision to run for a third term led to an attempted military coup and over 200,000 refugees fleeing the country.

The new law states that departing presidents will receive “a luxury villa built with public funds in the location of his choice within five years, as well as a one-off allocation of one billion Burundian francs [£400,000].”

The package applies exclusively to elected heads of state, making Mr Nkurunziza the only eligible candidate as others presidents have come to power through military coups or peace agreements.

The retired president, who banned jogging in 2014, will also get the same benefits as a serving vice-president for seven years after he steps down, and will receive an allowance equal to that of a lawmaker for the rest of his life.

Lawmakers passed the motion with 98 votes for and two against.

Lawmakers have also supported draft legislation to "elevate" President Nkurunziza to the status of "Paramount Leader, Champion of Patriotism and Leadership Core" at the end of his term. It is unclear what this elevated role would entail.