Busingye was speaking yesterday in Kigali while launching a two-day workshop on forensic evidence, cybercrimes, electronic evidence and data protection.
The workshop was organized by Rwanda Bar Association and East Africa Law Society in partnership with Rwanda Investigation Bureau, Rwanda National Police, National Public Prosecution Authority and the Ministry of Justice.
It was organized to address challenges currently faced by lawyers, prosecutors, investigators and judicial officials among other justice players.
Speaking at the workshop, Busingye said that the rise of internet technology has increased cyber-crimes.
“The rise of internet technology and digitization of vast sectors of human activity have brought to the fore unprecedented challenges; a rise in cybercrime with its attendant difficulties in identifying perpetrators. The ability of men to hide heinous crimes behind layers of the dark web and the use of computer technology to aid complex financial crimes are all challenges that we must all strive to find solutions to,” he said.
Every year, Busingye said, African governments and businesses lose substantial economic resources to digital fraud. He said they are done through flawed technologies in procurement, falsification of digital data and concealment of pertinent information through technology.
“Financial institutions have witnessed rising cases of bank accounts being hacked into and substantial resources transferred away into unknown addresses using internet technology,” he said.
Busingye noted that governments continue to suffer from sabotage and theft of crucial and highly-classified information by criminal elements intent on achieving a variety of criminal objectives.
“Increased cyber-attacks on our security establishments and economic institutions pose a direct threat to our national security and to our collective existence,” he noted.
He went on to explain that use of social media to promote human development has brought the challenge of cyber-bullies and identity thieves. He said, the challenges pose some of the greatest threats to human enjoyment of the use of technology.
“Drug trafficking, illegal arms trade and human trafficking are now comfortably operated by criminals by a mere click of a mouse. Computers have made identification, investigation and prosecution of crimes a very difficult process,” he added.
“Cellphones, laptops, iphones, CCTV cameras and portable recorders have all become crucial tools in the administration of justice. Without understanding how best to make use of these tools, due process will continue to face hiccups,” he cautioned.
He warned that inattention to different factors sometimes leads to miscarriage of justice, with the possibility that criminals go scott-free for failure by investigators to secure unassailable evidence.
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