Rwanda has accused the United Nations refugee agency of deceit after it informed a British court this week that asylum seekers sent to the East African nation could be redirected to countries where they may face torture or death.

The British initiative to deport refugees to Rwanda has encountered numerous legal obstacles. Nevertheless, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s administration is determined to proceed if his Conservative Party secures victory in the general election on July 4.

Lawyers for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Monday claimed that Rwanda’s asylum system was insufficient, as part of a challenge against the British government's policy of sending asylum seekers there.

The attorneys argued that the policy risks exposing asylum seekers to refoulement, a prohibited process, referencing prior evidence that was crucial in the British Supreme Court’s decision to declare the British plan unlawful last year.

“UNHCR is lying,” asserted the Rwandan government in a statement on Wednesday, accusing the agency of making “a series of entirely unfounded claims” against Kigali.

“The body seems bent on delivering fabricated accusations to UK courts about Rwanda’s treatment of asylum seekers, even as it collaborates with us to relocate African migrants from Libya to safety in Rwanda.”

Monday’s United Kingdom hearing – where the UNHCR successfully intervened – marks the latest in a series of legal disputes surrounding the initiative.

It follows a prior legal challenge by the FDA trade union representing civil servants, heard on June 6, with the judgment still awaited.

The UN agency has consistently raised alarms about the risks refugees face from “externalization,” including refoulement.

“UNHCR … finds that the UK-Rwanda Asylum partnership transfers the responsibility of making asylum decisions and protecting refugees,” it stated on Wednesday.

Rwanda’s government noted that cases raised by UNHCR lawyers in court involved arrivals who either had legal status in other countries but didn't meet Rwanda's entry requirements or those leaving voluntarily.

The ruling Conservative Party of Britain claims the deportation scheme is intended to dissuade migrants from attempting to cross the English Channel to the UK from northern France. Sunak has asserted it will proceed if his party wins the July 4 election.

On the other hand, opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer has vowed to cancel the plan if his party triumphs in the July 4 election.