Author: b_igi_adm1n

Police has detained Kalisa Christopher, Executive secretary of Rubavu district, Bihingiro John, former Gisenyi Prison Boss and Mugume James, the prison’s accountant both accused of conniving to mismanage public funds.

Prosecution alleges that the officials used fake documents to pay an entrepreneur who had won the tender to supply food items to the prison, for the job he never did.

Kalisa Christopher is particularly accused of paying the entrepreneur 7 million Rwandan francs, while, the Prison boss, James Mugume, who was the entrepreneur, along with Bihingiro are facing charges of using fake documents to pay the contractor.

Alain Mukuralinda the spokesman of the national public prosecution authority told Press that the men are currently facing two counts which are mismanagement of public finances, and using fake documents.

He said if found guilty they could face prison sentences between 5 to 20 years.

Subject to provisions of the law, the crime of mismanagement of public servants attracts between 5 to 20 years, while forgery attracts between 5 to 10 year prison sentences.

Police in Gasabo district is holding Jean Pierre Bunani 36(pictured above), in connection with running a forgery scam.

Bunani was arrested following a tip off from neighbours who alerted a nearby military detach about his suspicious activities and unknown people who frequnetly visited his home.

He was arrested by security organs on patrol in Musezero cell, Gisozi sector where he was found in possession of several illegal documents including a Zigama Credit and Saving Scheme Kanombe branch stamp, 2 ink pads and 3 old Rwandan driving licenses.

He also possessed 4 Burundians driving licenses, 3 old provisional driving licenses, 1 Rwandan motorcycle card and 21 passport photos of different people.

Bunani was also found in possession of a court verdict dated October 28, 2010 condemning him to a four year forgery jail stint. It is not yet clear how he was released early as he had not completed his jail sentence.

He was immediately taken to Gisozi Police Station where he and the exhibits are currently held as investigations continue.

His neighbours noted that Bunani has for several occasions been arrested over the same crime but has always been immediately released.

If found guilty Bunani is likely to be handed a jail sentence between 5 to 10 years according to article 202 and 204 of the Rwandan Penal code. He is also liable to a fine of Frw. 100,000.

President Paul Kagame is scheduled to address the Summit on Sustainability in Africa starting on 24 May Gaborone, Botswana.

The two-day Summit is organized by the Government of Botswana in partnership with Conservation International.

Expected at the summit are Presidents of Botswana, Liberia and Namibia, Vice President of Tanzania, Prime Minister of Mozambique as well as global leaders from the public and private sector, including Rob Walton, Chairman, Wal-Mart, Peter Seligmann Chairman, CEO and Founder, Conservation International and Laurene Powell Jobs, Chair and Founder, Emerson Collective.

The summit’s main objective is to promote environmental sustainability in Africa through natural capital accounting. The proposed Gaborone declaration, to be adopted at the end of the conference, endeavors to set an African roadmap for sustainable development and poverty reduction.

Rwanda’s National Climate Change and Low Carbon Development Strategy will be highlighted at the Gaborone Summit and will also feature at Rio +20 as part of a side event organized under the UN Secretariat for Rio + 20 Initiative to showcase examples of national green economy and green growth strategies.

Rwanda will also be part of the joint UNDP and UNEP side event involving countries participating in the Poverty and Environment Initiative (PEI) to share experiences and perspectives in building a green economy.

Rwanda will represent Africa, Bhutan Asia and Uruguay South America.

The Gaborone Summit is taking place in the lead up to and will seek to establish linkages with the UN Conference on Sustainable Development/Rio +20, scheduled for 20-22 June 2012 in Brazil.

Dr. Donald Kaberuka the President of the African Development Bank has remarked that a prosperous, growing Africa is good for the global economy.

“This is a win-win proposition. A prosperous, growing Africa is good for the global economy. This is a collective endeavour involving governments, the private sector and public investment to spur economic growth on the continent. The African Development Bank is ready to play its part by ensuring conditions such as reliable infrastructure is in place,”said AfDB President.

Dr. Kaberuka made the remarks Saturday at the G8 Summit in Washington during a special session focused on agriculture policy in Africa, and in particular, a fresh initiative called the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition.

U.S. President Barack Obama at Camp David near Washington hosted the meeting, where this year’s G8 Summit of the world’s largest economies took place.

“With so much for the G8 leaders to discuss,” said AfDB President Kaberuka, “I commend President Obama for putting agriculture investment in Africa on the agenda.”

One of the main objectives of the new initiative is to encourage the private sector to invest more in the continent’s agriculture sector.

Dr. Kaberuka told participants, “Although African agriculture has underperformed for many years, that’s beginning to change as many governments put market policies and conditions in place.”

Through improved infrastructure, transportation and trade, Africa can make significant headway, he said.

Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Louise Mushikiwabo arrived in Beijing on Monday where she was received by Wang Tongqing,Counselor at Africa Department at China Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) with a Group of African Ambassadors represented by their Dean.

In the evening around 6hPm , Minister Mushikiwabo visited the Embassy of Rwanda to China and shared dinner with the staff of the Embassy of Rwanda in Beijing.

Tuesday 22 May,Minister Mushikiwabo met with Her Counterpart His Excellency Yang Jiechi. Mushikiwabo will later today visit the Ministry of Commerce (Mofcom) and meet the Vice Minister Li Jinzao.

Prime Minister Dr. Pierre Damien Habumuremyi has said Rwanda was propelled into peacekeeping operations around the world following the failure of UN peacekeeping mission of 1994, when the country was going through the genocide against Tutsi.

The Prime minister made the remarks today while opening a Course for UN Senior Mission Leaders and managers of peacekeeping missions across the world.

The 2 weeks course, the second of its kind on the African continent, is conducted by the Rwanda Peace Academy (RPA), in collaboration with the UN Integrated Training Service, and the Government of Australia.

Dr. Habumuremyi noted that Rwanda’s commitment to restoration of peace in the world is partly due the pain caused by the failure of UN Peace mission of the 1994, leaving Rwandans succumb to the brutal killings in the latest history-the genocide against the Tutsi.

Ettore Di Benedetto, the coordinator of the training, said participants will discuss about challenges facing peace keepers and subsequently come up with counter solutions.

The RDF spokesman, Brig. Gen. Joseph Nzabamwita, noted that Rwanda, and security institutions under UN Peace keeping missions, have continued to play a significant role in maintaining security in different countries across the world, such as Liberia, Haiti, Sierra Leone, Cote d’ ivoire, Sudan’s region of Darfur, and Comoros Islands.

The training is organized jointly with the government of Rwanda and United Nations, funded by the Australian government.

Judges from ICTR are in the country for five days where they will tour crime sites in the case involving former minister of planning Augustin Ngirabatware.

Ngirabatware is accused of involvement in the killings at former Gisenyi prefecture, during the 1994 genocide against ethnic Tutsis.

Three judges and representatives of prosecution and defence will visit 28 sites in Kigali and its environs, Gitarama (Muhanga) in the Southern Province and Gisenyi (Rubavu) in the Western Province.

During Ngirabatware’s case at ICTR trial chamber 1, witnesses asked court to tour the scene of crime in Rwanda. Court granted the request.

The court also granted prosecution permission to bring in another prosecution witness additional to the six who had testified against Ngirabatware, but rejected the defence’s request to get an extra defence witness, to testify that their client was not in the country during the genocide.

The trial chamber 1 defended its decision for allowing the prosecution get another witness, because the defence had denied that Ngirabatware was not in the country during the genocide.

Court says additional witness was going to testify that Ngirabatware was indeed in Rwanda, during the genocide.

The court however argued that the basis to reject the defence request was that all 35 defence witnesses never mentioned about Ngirabatware’s absence in the country during the genocide.

During the trial Ngirabatware had said that had travelled to Senegal and Swaziland during the genocide, specifically on the dates; between 23 April and 23 May 1994.

On the request of ICTR, prosecutor Massamba Ndiaye conducted an investigation to identify whether Ngirabatware was in Senegal.

After the investigation Massamba Ndiaye told the court that the office of president of Senegal denied ever receiving Ngirabatware during the said dates.

Ndiaye explained that he personally met twice with former Senegalese foreign affairs minister Moustapha Niasse who affirmed that he doesn’t know a person known by that name, let alone receiving him.

Among other evidences presented by the prosecution are documents from the director of Radio and Television indicating that they have never hosted Ngirabatware, on which Ngirabatware himself says he was hosted.

Ngirabatware, 52, is charged with nine counts which include; Genocide, Conspiracy to Commit Genocide; Complicity in Genocide and Direct and Public Incitement to Commit Genocide.

Others are; Crimes against Humanity for Murder, Extermination, Rape, Inhumane Acts and Serious Violations of the Geneva Conventions and of Additional Protocol II.

Ngirabatware was arrested in Germany in 2007 and transferred to the ICTR detention facility in Arusha, Tanzania in 2008. The former minister, whose trial kicked off in 2009, has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. Ends