In June, three non-governmental organisations filed a lawsuit accusing the bank of financing the purchase of “80 tonnes of arms used to carry out genocide” by the Hutu regime, even though “the bank had to have known the genocidal intentions of the country’s authorities”.
As AFP reported; the Paris judiciary confirmed Monday that it opened an investigation for “complicity in genocide and complicity in crimes against humanity” on August 22, and asked the Paris genocide and war crimes division, which is already handling 25 other cases linked to the Rwandan genocide, to run the probe.
The lawsuit was filed in France by Sherpa, which defends victims of economic crimes; Ibuka France, a Rwanda victims’ association; and the France-based Collective of Civil Parties for Rwanda, which pursues claims against genocide suspects.
The NGOs say BNP authorised the transfer of $1.3 million (1.1 million euros at current rates) to the regime in June 1994, one month after the United Nations had placed an embargo on weapons deliveries to Rwanda.
{{BNP is France’s biggest bank and among the world’s top 10.
}}
The plaintiffs allege that BNP authorised the transfer of the money that was held by Rwanda’s national bank (BNR) to an account held at Swiss bank UBP by Willem Tertius Ehlers, a South African intermediary who owned an arms-dealing brokerage called Delta Aero.
The 100 days’ genocide led to the massacre of more than 1,000,000 people.
Kigali has repeatedly accused Paris of having a hand in the genocide and of being slow to prosecute some of its kingpins living in France.
The case is the first time a French bank is under suspicion of being involved in the genocide.
Well over 23 years after the Genocide, Kankindi has no distinct place to call home. She has always suffered extreme trauma that never allows her to go back to stay in her home place. Consequently, she has not benefited from any government of Rwanda’s special support which has provided almost all vulnerable Genocide survivors with houses and other basic needs.
Recounting her Genocide ordeal to IGIHE, Kankindi says her father took the entire family to seek refuge at his son-in-law’s home in the neighbourhood when killings started in their area but the man handed them to the hit-men (interahamwe) who killed others but Kankindi, then 20-year old, was rescued by her cousin’s husband who told her to go away so that she does not die in his sight.
She went back to her sister whose husband locked her in the room and started raping her daily for about a week before she managed to escape and left Gisagara for Kamonyi where she had another married sister. She did not know she was impregnated by her sister’s husband until end of month when she did not experience her menstrual cycle.
“When I got here in Kamonyi, I realised that I was pregnant and later produced a daughter. I hated life especially when I saw girls of my age getting married and others completing studies. When my daughter was 6-months old I felt I didn’t want the child, I hated her and I wished I had been killed too in Genocide,” narrates Kankindi and talk ends here as her trauma resurfaces, loses conscious, daughter locks all doors, counsellor comforts her, later takes her to bed and talk shifts to the daughter.
Daughter, Mutoni (not her real name) says her mother usually gets traumatised and runs out on the streets and sometimes disappears from home for some days. “When we notice signs of her trauma, we lock all doors so that she does not go out on the streets,” says Mutoni.
When Gacaca jurisdictions started, Kankindi went back home in Gisagara to testify on what she saw during the Genocide. Her sister’s husband who raped her got jailed and the sister bitterly hated Kankindi, threatening her to have no peace as long as her husband is in prison. Kankindi failed to stay in her home area because of scornful words from neighbours, sister and her children but the environment also triggers her trauma. She decided to stay in Kamonyi where she does not have any property but lives on subsistent agriculture on the farm left by her sister to four children.
{{
Daughter’s school dropout }}
Kankindi’s daughter, Mutoni, dropped out of school when she was in senior three in 2015 when her school fees support from Solace Ministries, a local charity, was reduced from Rwf70,000 to Rwf40,000 per term. Her mother was unable to top up. She is currently working on the farm and sometimes at construction sites to earn a living.
Mutoni, 22, who has never seen her father (currently serving his sentence), had all along believed her father died in Genocide until she learned of her birth circumstances in 2012 when her mother opened up. She wishes to have their own house and get more professional training in construction so that she can earn a better living when she gets a job upon completion.
“Our hosting family (her cousins) was mistreating us and sent us outside their house. They chased us out of their house but since we had nowhere to go, we settled in their old kitchen with a falling wall and leaking roof. I and my mother started a very hard life without food, no shelter, no clothing, not even a blanket; we persisted until one of the cousins got us back into the main house but we are still facing harassment here,” she says.
“My prayer is for our own house. I am a grown-up girl and work to earn our living. We can live happily away from here. My mother often gets traumatised, she cannot stay nearby her offenders in Gisagara District, and we wish to have a house somewhere else.”
{{
FARG, Sector pledge support}}
While most Genocide survivors have benefited from Government special schemes which provided them with adequate housing and other basic needs, Kankindi’s case has all along been unknown to officials of local government and the Fund for Neediest Survivors of Genocide (FARG) which promotes social welfare of the survivors.
Christine Nyirandayisabye, Executive Sectretary of Runda Sector in Kamonyi District, says she has been unaware of the case for over eight years in the office but assured she is going to look for Kankindi and help her get on the list of FARG beneficiaries and establish how she can be further helped in accessing support through other government programmes.
Eng. Théophille Ruberangeyo, Director General of FARG, says he is going to follow up the issue and make sure she gets on the list of beneficiaries regardless of where she stays if she has proof of being a Genocide survivor. Kankindi obviously has the proof.
Ruberangeyo says they prefer to build houses for neediest survivors in their home areas where they have other resources like land which helps in farming activities especially because the government usually gives them cows but adds FARG also helps survivors settle where they feel comfortable after investigating the threats in their home areas.
“She is entitled to FARG support. She, first of all, needs counselling to help recover from that trauma. We have a counsellor in every district who is going to help her. Then, we shall provide her with adequate shelter,” he says.
Though the daughter, Mutoni, is not eligible for FARG support because she is not a Genocide survivor, Ruberangeyo promised to do advocacy personally to the Ministry of Local Government so that she gets support to take her back to school.
Every year, FARG builds new houses and renovates existing ones for vulnerable Genocide survivors. This year alone, 369 new houses and renovation of 331 existing ones are expected to be delivered at the budget of Rwf9.5 billion.
The 2014 report indicated that 1,687 households of Genocide survivors had no shelters but 1,483 households have so far got houses while 204 will get theirs in the near future.
Industry and manufacturing grew by 6% boosted by agro-processing and production of chemicals, rubber and plastics.
Wholesale and retail trade decreased by 6% due to overall reduction of imported products on the market.
Finance Minister, Claver Gatete said that they expect Q3 and Q4 to perform well due to the booming construction activities and an encouraging agricultural season B.
“Drivers of growth will be services, agriculture and changing landscape of industry sector driven by Made-in-Rwanda” he said.
Industry sector demonstrated slow growth of 1% due to 4% decrease in construction works compared to Q2 last year.
According to NISR, 6% growth in Agriculture is attributed to good harvest in season A that grew by 4% and 22% increase in export crop performance.
“In Q2 GDP at current market prices was estimated at Rwf1,869 billion up from Rwf1,636 billion in Q2 of 2016,” said NISR Director General Yussuf Murangwa.
In service sector, hotels and restaurants grew by 9% while administrative and support services increased by 21%.
Good harvests of tea (28% growth) and coffee (8%) significantly contributed to the growth of exports.
The money accrued from recovered taxes and penalties levied on intercepted smuggled goods between January and September this year.
At least 70 percent of the seized smuggled goods were secondhand clothes locally known as caguwa, according to the CO of the Rwanda National Police unit – RPU – attached to Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) to fight fraud and smuggling, among others.
Following the increase of taxes on second hand clothes from $0.5 to $2.5 per kilogramme, as part of the national programme to promote locally produced goods under the brand ‘Made in Rwanda’, fraud and smuggling of caguwa has shoot up.
Between February and May alone, RPU intercepted over 80 tons of secondhand clothes, according to statistics.
“Besides caguwa, Ibitenge – traditional attire – soft and alcoholic drinks especially expensive liquors, cooking oil, powdered milk and vehicle spare parts are other commodities that are commonly seized,” SSP Businge said, attributing the success to information from the people.
“We have intensified operations, checkpoints along mapped routes but also increased awareness which has strengthened our working relations with the people through information sharing, either from the loading points even in neighboring countries where the illegal practices are orchestrated or at the final destination where they are noticed as they are being off-loaded,” Businge said.
It is said that bundles of second hand clothes are concealed in rice, maize and cassava flour sacks.
“We are able to know all these tricks because of the good partnership with the people.”
The CO also warned traders, who attempt to evade taxes by under-valuing goods or manipulating electronic billing machine, where less of the sold goods are billed.
Emmy Mbera, the coordinator of Electronic Billing Machine (EBM) in RRA, appealed to the public to always demand receipts owing to the fact that taxes or Value Added Tax is paid by the end user – the buyer.
“The end user is the one who pays VAT not the seller; the seller is just like a broker between the buyer and the government. If the buyer doesn’t demand the receipt, then he or she is not sure if their financial contribution in national development has been delivered. These are public funds that should just be delivered, because contrary to that, it’s more like embezzlement, which you will be forced to pay with other penalties as the law states,” Mbera warned.
Article 24 of the law on VAT, obliges all VAT registered taxpayers in Rwanda to acquire and use EBM to issue tax invoices to their customers on every transaction they make. Failure to comply is a tax crime that attracts penalties.
The same law states that any person required to use EBM but sells goods or services without issuing an electronic invoice faces a fine of ten times the value of the evaded VAT. However, the fine is doubled if one commits the offence for the second time.
In article 200, any person with uncustomed goods shall be liable to an imprisonment not exceeding five years or a fine of 50 percent of the dutiable value of the goods involved, or both.
Additional penalties include the closure of business activities for a period of thirty days and being barred from bidding for public tenders, among others.
Under the East African Community Management Act, in article 199, the driver caught for fraud or smuggling goods, is slapped a fine of US$5000 while the vehicle and the goods are auctioned.
Currently, RRA is auctioning vehicles and goods that were intercepted in such fraudulent acts, over the past years.
Owing to the fact that the City of Kigali constructed seven modern health centres at a tune of about Rwf1.9 billion, it means that the recovered taxes can construct about five other health centres.
“When you buy a product, know that you have paid VAT but not the seller. Demand a receipt and ensure that all that you bought is accounted for on the receipt, that way you will be sure that your contribution will be delivered.”
Robert Mugabe, the Deputy Commissioner for Revenue Investigation & Enforcement Department, also said that the increased operations by RPU have significantly minimized on revenue losses by deterring, detecting and preventing smuggling, and tax evasion.
Through his twitter account, Karabaranga said that the deal is a result of government of Rwanda efforts in attracting investment in the country.
“Heineken beer is to be produced in Rwanda soon and exported in the region, thanks to the attractive doing business climate,” reads his twit.
It is anticipated that the production of Heineken products in Rwanda will be done by Bralirwa, a Rwanda’s brewer company of which Heineken N.V owns 75% shares.
Speaking to IGIHE, one of Rwandan Diaspora leaders in Mozambique said the assassin found him alone in the shop, shot him dead and took the money.
“It happened Friday night. It is shocking to hear such death of a young man who came to make ends meet” he said.
He said that the Rwandan diasporas are organising his burial in Mozambique, and will support his family.
Vincent Karega, the Rwandan envoy accredited to the southern African country said that the Police are investigating the case.
“He (Niyongira) was a finance manager at a shop of his fellow Rwandan. He was shot around 9:00pm and they took the money. Police suspect one person and are conducting more investigations,” he said.
The founder of Dream Design Property who was speaking to UoK students on Friday said that youth should have business ideas as the first step towards being successful entrepreneurs.
“When you want to become rich, you start by thinking about what you want to achieve in your life. When you don’t know what you want, how could reach where you wish to be? Let your brain think about new things” he challenged students.
“When you have dreams, you should create opportunities. No official will finance you or implement your ideas, otherwise, you need to use your brains and get money from them” he said.
Zari Ameer is in Rwanda on the invitation of INTEch Investments Ltd, a business solutions focused company.
The OAG report released 3rd May 2017 shows that in the fiscal year that ended 30th July 2016, a total of Rwf1.6 billion was mismanaged,
Rwf590 million used without proper accountability and Rwf906million out-rightly embezzled.
A total of Rwf1.5 billion was not recovered.
Among heads of institutions that will appear before PAC are; Water and Sanitation Corporation (WASAC), Energy Development Corporation Ltd (EDCL), Energy Utilities Corporation Ltd (EUCL), Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA), Rwanda Development Board (RDB), University of Rwanda (UR), Rwanda Education Board (REB), Workforce Development Authority (WDA), Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) and Rwanda Agricultural Board (RAB)
“Those are institutions that we shall invite to come here, but there are others which also have qualified audit reports that will explain to the committee through written details,” Nkusi said.
Districts that will appear before PAC include Gatsibo, Gasabo, Bugesera, Rusizi, Ngororero, Nyabihu, Rulindo, Gicumbi, Nyamagabe, Ruhango Rutsiro and Nyarugenge.
Most of the districts have issues with wrongful awarding and poor management of public tenders and poor supervision of infrastructure development projects.
The OAG report revealed that a total of 98 contracts worth Rwf 95.6 billion in 2016 were not fully executed as they were abandoned by tender winners leaving a big toll of financial losses to the government.
Activities for 75 contracts were delayed while 23 contractors abandoned the projects. Some of the implementers of the abandoned projects had already been paid colossal sums of money.
The complex owned by 22 cooperatives of Community Health Workers from different sectors of Karongi has been constructed from cooperatives members’ contributions where each cooperative provided a total of Rwf9.1 million.
At the inauguration ceremony in Karongion Friday, was the presence of Health Minister, Dr. Diane Gashumba and the minister of state for community development and social affairs, Dr. Alvera Mukabaramba among other officials.
Speaking at the ceremony, Gashumba commended the partnership that gave birth to such a facility.
“We are pleased to officially launch this house built without a bank loan; a symbol of dignity demonstrating that if you continue building meaningful partnerships such as with district leadership and hospitals, you will achieve much more,” she said.
She called on all community health workers to invest much effort in promoting healthcare programmes in the country.
During the celebrations open discussions were held and students were called upon to use the internet for education purposes and encouraged to exploit the innovation hub to give more life to their ideas, especially that the government has put emphasis on developing ICT infrastructure and spearheading the ICT agenda in the country.
Speaking at the event, Internet Society representative in Rwanda, Nicolas Berwa said, “we are glad to be celebrating our 25-year anniversary at the University of Rwanda. We are not celebrating only milestones but we are here to uplift student’s capacity by encouraging them to use internet to enhance their experience while they pursue their education”
Airtel Rwanda representative Micheline Umulisa also urged students to be adventurous when using the internet in order to rip big out of it education wise, emphasizing that the UR Innovation hub was put in place for them to be able to grow their ideas and provide home grown solutions.
“Internet is one of the most important networks to provide information and communication to ever have been invented. Information is before you by just a click of a finger and is capable of changing your life by enabling you with whatever knowledge you may wish to acquire, emphasized Jean De Dieu
Huye – UR students did also express the willingness to learn from the open discussions highlighting that the Innovation Hub launched early this year has been of great assistance as for as research for their studies is concerned.
“We lacked a great environment with fast internet to sit and research for our course works before Airtel came here to launch the innovation hub – now we can freely come to the hub and use the computers that are fully connected to fast internet. Research has been easier”, commented Vianney Jean Marie a second year student.
“I like this Innovation Hub because it’s such a convenient and comfortable place to sit and do your course works. The environment is calm with less distractions. We like the place”, Mukesha Sandrine, a student said.
