According to the Agency, the former driver for a Guest House in Kibuye, who has appealed his conviction, was referred to the investigative division of the Paris Court of Appeal, which ruled on 30th November that the extension of his pre-trial detention did not appear to be “essential either for the needs of the proceedings pending the hearing, or as a security measure”.
Muhayimana was released from detention on 21st December and placed under judicial supervision pending his appeal.
“I find this decision wise and particularly justified, since we have no idea when the appeal will be held,” said his lawyer Philippe Meilhac, stressing that his client had “remained free during most of the investigation, without ever posing a problem.
Muhayimana who became a naturalised French citizen in 2010, is accused of having transported gendarmes and Interahamwe militiamen, the armed wing of the Hutu genocidal regime, to the sites of massacres of Tutsis between April and July 1994 in Kibuye and the surrounding hills, where tens of thousands of people were killed.
In December 2021, he was found guilty by a majority of votes of complicity in genocide and complicity in crimes against humanity in the hills of Karongi, Gitwa and Bisesero over the period from 7 April to the end of June 1994, and of complicity in crimes against humanity in July in the hills of Bisesero.
Muhayimana is released at a time when Genocide survivors in Karongi have been expressing dissatisfaction with the sentence handed to him.
The court handed him a four-year jail sentence and a fine of Rwf60 million on September 30.
Bamporiki and his defence lawyers Evode Kayitana and Jean Baptiste Habyarimana have told the court that they have three reasons that prompted them to appeal alluding to leniency and suspended sentence.
Lawyer Habyarimana said that the first reason is the request to acquit Bamporiki of the crime of abusing power.
As for this crime, Bamporiki is accused of having received Rwf10 million from Norbert Gatera to help him secure the release of his wife arrested over corruption charges.
His defence lawyers said that the money was offered for appreciation. They defended their client saying that he could not influence law enforcers yet he served as State Minister.
Secondly, the defendant and his defence team requested the reduction of Rwf60 million fine because fraudulent acquisition would attract a fine between Rwf3 and 5 million.
They said that the fine would also reduce to Rwf30 million in case mitigating circumstances are taken into consideration. Bamporiki also appealed for leniency.
“I am not innocent. It would not be reasonable to say that I am here without having committed offences. I humbly apologize for having received what I did not deserve. While I was advocating for someone, they came with money considered as a symbol of appreciation. I apologize and forgiveness can be a foundation for me to be an important person,” he said.
Bamporiki went on to say that it would not take long to prove that he is a transformed man and advise other people lest they stumble as it happened to him.
Habyarimana said that Bamporiki is an honest person as he disclosed circumstances of his case, apologized and took to Twitter messages expressing remorse for committed crime.
He requested the court to suspend the sentence handed to Bamporiki given that it was his first time to receive such punishment.
Lawyer Kayitana also explained that Bamporiki is an important person to the country who played a role in the country’s unity and reconciliation efforts, Ndi Umunyarwanda, national civic education and others even though it should not be an excuse for involvement in crimes.
“We request his release for common interests. His remorse should be considered to release him to continue building Rwanda being out of prison. He admitted the crime from the Prosecution. We request for suspension of his sentence and charged fine,” he noted.
The defence team also requested for suspended sentence and lenient fine on grounds of the sickness of Bamporiki’s wife undergoing medical attention in France where she was transferred from King Faisal Hospital.
The Prosecution dismissed Bamporiki’s request objecting that the crime was committed by an official who is also familiar with the legal field.
On the other side, the Prosecution also appealed against the sentence handed to him claiming that there are some unreviewed constituents of the crime of receiving bribe, an addition to lessened punishment.
The Prosecution underscored that the High Court did not consider the fact that Bamporiki was an official who used his authority to commit the crime.
The court said that there are reasons to mitigate the crime which the Prosecution rejected.
The verdict will be delivered on 16th January 2022.
The ruling was read on Tuesday 13th December 20222 before Kicukiro Primary Court.
The court explained that there are no compelling evidences pinning Kamanzi James, Ndayambaje Pierre, Kayirangwa Leoncie, Ndayisenga Fidèle, Nsengumuremyi, Jean Marie Vianney and Basabose Tharcisse on alleged crimes including flouting of public tender procedures and making decisions based on favouritism.
However, the court said that there are major reasons pinning Fidèle Rwema on involvement in illegal bidding procedures and remanded him for 30 days.
As the suspects were arraigned for hearing before Kicukiro Primary Court on Thursday, December 8, prosecutors said that in 2020, RBC’s procurement committee awarded Rwema’s company with a tender worth more than Rwf3 billion to procure for them biomedical equipment, despite knowing that he was an employee of the institution, having worked for it since 2013.
The prosecution said that James Kamanzi, the former Deputy Director General of RBC, went on and signed the tender, yet he knew that Rwema was working for RBC.
It was alleged that Kamanzi ‘knew this because he is the one who actually signed his appointment letter when RBC was hiring him’.
Kamanzi argued that signing his appointment letter doesn’t mean that he still remembered him because he signed many letters under similar circumstances.
The other five members of RBC’s procurement committee also presented the same argument that they did not know that Rwema worked for RBC.
After assessing the prosecution’s request to remand the suspects for 30 days, the court ordered their immediate release on grounds of lacking compelling reasons.
Prince Kid who organized the contest for long through his company, Rwanda Inspiration Backup, was facing charges including soliciting or offering sexual favours, and harassment connected to sexual relations.
The court ruled on the release of Prince Kid,34, saying that the Prosecution did not present compelling evidences pinning him to alleged crimes.
Prince Kid has been incarcerated in Nyarugenge Prison located in Mageragere since 16th May 2022.
The decision has been reached after the accused and defence lawyers claimed that they can’t continue to stand trial without knowing whereabouts of witnesses.
Prince Kid and defence lawyers put forward the objection after observing that witnesses were to attend the court session virtually.
His defence lawyer Nyembo disclosed that they want witnesses to provide testimonies physically in a selected place instead of doing it virtually via Skype.
Prince Kid was arrested on 8th May 2022 over alleged sexual abuse against some of participants of Miss Rwanda beauty pageant which he organized for long through his company, Rwanda Inspiration Backup.
He faces charges including soliciting or offering sexual favours, and harassment connected to sexual relations.
Maj Karangwa, 66, has been living in the Netherlands since 1988. He was arrested by Dutch Police on 11th May 2022 in Ermelo.
Rwanda had issued arrest warrants against him to face justice over alleged responsibility in attacks to kill Tutsis at Mugina Parish in Kamonyi District during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
In 1994, Maj Karangwa was an officer serving under a para-military unit known as Gendarmerie.
Apart from Mugina, he is also suspected to have been involved in the killings of Tutsis in different parts of Kigali.
Following his arrest, Karangwa was arraigned before court and claimed that he does not expect fair justice in Rwanda.
His request has been validated during a hearing held on Wednesday.
Karangwa was born in former Mugina Sector, in the current Kamonyi District.
Between 1992 and 1993, he served as an intelligence officer in the former Rwanda Armed Forces (EX-FAR).
During the Genocide against the Tutsi, thousands of Tutsi citizens had sought refuge in the nearby parish of Mugina in April 1994.
It is said that the mayor of Mugina, who had tried to protect fleeing Tutsis, was killed by militia members, giving the army, police and militias free rein.
An estimated 30,000 Tutsis are said to have been killed during the Mugina parish massacre.
According to sources, Maj Karangwa was closely involved in the planning and execution of the massacres in Mugina, including the supply of weapons to militias that killed Tutsis.
The man and his accomplices are said to have led some 80 Tutsi civilians that had managed to escape the parish massacres to a house that was subsequently set on fire. Karangwa is also accused of having supplied the fuel.
It is said that, prior to the massacres, the man had chaired a meeting calling for Tutsi civilians to be attacked and killed. He is also alleged to have played a part in the assassination of the mayor of Mugina.
The decision was announced on Friday 28th October 2022, a day that had been set by the court to issue the ruling.
The pressing judge has said that the decision was reached after hearing both sides and established the need to hear more witnesses.
The judge revealed that witnesses will be summoned on 15th November 2022 at 8:00 a.m. to provide more evidences virtually.
He explained that the trial will continue to be held behind closed doors.
Ishimwe is facing charges related to sexual abuse against some of participants of Miss Rwanda beauty pageant which he organized for long through his company, Rwanda Inspiration Backup.
Dr. Habumuremyi has been summoned by Gasabo Primary Court for a hearing scheduled on 2nd November 2022.
He was released on 14th December 2021 after spending a year and three months.
During trial proceedings, the prosecution said that Dr. Habumuremyi had Rwf1.5 billion in debts.
The clemency granted to him nullified the three-year jail term and Rwf892 fine that he was handed by Nyarugenge Intermediate Court on 27th November 2020.
However, he had to clear all debts owed to plaintiffs.
It is reported that Dr. Habumuremyi paid some individuals in installments but others did not receive a single coin.
The former politician who served as Rwanda’s Prime Minister between 2011 and 2014 experienced hurdles to pay the debts as his university (Christian University) which dragged him into debts was also closed owing to irregularities.
Dr. Habumuremyi will appear before the court following an allegation filed by Daniel Bizimana, a business man who claims for Rwf3.2 million for offered car rental services.
It is said that the cars were used to transport the staff of the closed Christian University.
Sources indicate that the man received unguaranteed cheque from I&M Bank signed on 10th July 2020 before Dr. Habumuremyi’s arrest.
Following his release, it is reported that the man approached Dr. Habumuremyi to pay back his money ‘which he neither did nor gave him assurance’.
Bizimana filed an accusation to the court demanding it to order Dr. Habumuremyi to refund the money and compensate incurred losses.
Last year, it was revealed that some of properties of Dr. Habumuremyi including a plot of land located in Masaka Sector of Kicukiro District, were put on auction to clear some debts.
After serving as Prime Minister from 7thOctober 2011 to 23rd July 2014, Dr. Habumuremyi was named as the chairman of Chancellery for Heroes, National Orders and Decoration of Honour from February 2015 prior to his arrest in 2020.
Karasira who once served as a lecturer at the University of Rwanda, made the objections as he appeared before Nyarugenge Intermediate Court on Friday 7th October 2022.
The Prosecution alleged that Karasira aired talk shows on YouTube denying the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
The talk shows were aired on his own YouTube channel ‘Ukuri Mbona’ and Umurabyo TV owned by Agnès Uwimana Nkusi.
The Prosecution maintained that Karasira committed the crime of Genocide denial through pronounced statements that it was not prepared, justifying that RPA Inkotanyi’s mission was not to stop Genocide against the Tutsi.
Among others, the Prosecution alleged that Karasira defended the existence of double statements; one from the National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide (CNLG) and IBUKA, umbrella organization of Genocide survivors indicating that the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi was prepared since 1959 and another side of the international court that no one was convicted of preparations of Genocide.
The Prosecution also accused him of having featured in a talk show on 21st May 2021 where he declared that Kabuga was hunted because he refused to pay contributions to RPF instead of distributing machetes.
It was also alleged that Karasira defended the shooting of Habyarima’s plane as the trigger of the Genocide, highlighting that victims were killed because their children or relatives had joined an army formed by a subversive group.
The statement was made through a talk show aired on Umurabyo TV and Ukuri Mbona.
Karasira was also accused of inciting ethnic divisionism through talk shows aired on the two aforementioned YouTube channels and Pax TV.
The Prosecution alleged that the YouTuber knows himself that he disseminated false information using electronic means.
The false information includes statements that Rujugiro was not rewarded for supporting the government, that top military leaders came from Uganda among others.
After presenting evidences; the defence lawyer of Karasira, Gatera Gashabana requested floor for his client to make clarifications on health issues that would help the court understand deeply the origin of allegations against him.
Karasira who was seated on a bench due to health problems, said that he was not ready to stand trial noting that he should have been consulted before providing room for evidences.
The court reminded Karasira that the trial was also adjourned to allow enough time for preparations and requested him to specify the time he needs.
The accused said that he suffered from diabetes where his health conditions do not allow him to prepare for trial.
Karasira complained that he is always notified of his trial one day before yet he should be informed two weeks before.
He requested medical care before standing trial.
On the Prosecution’s concerns that he pushes the trial for no reasons, Karasira said that he is willing to be tried but in sound health.
“I am always brought before court forcibly, against my will,” he said.
Karasira said that he also has trauma that he has not yet received treatment for mental illness since he was arrested.
He has been detained since 30th June 2021.
Karasira explained that he suffers from serious consequences of the Genocide with recurrent trauma during trial preparations.
He requested to get medical attention at Médecins Sans Frontières, noting that doctors who attended to him previously did not consider the root cause of his conditions.
Karasira revealed that they did not provide treatment for effects related to alcoholic drinks or bad dreams.
The YouTuber explained that all his conditions are related to effects of the Genocide where he needs therapy treatment.
The accused and his defence lawyer asked the court to adjourn the trial and be given enough time for preparations that would also serve as an opportunity for Karasira to meet with doctors.
The court postponed the trial to 18th November 2022 maintaining that further excuses won’t be accepted.
