Eng Mulindahabi was released on 22nd November 2022 along with 11 staff members involved in the case of theft, use of forged documents and public resources misappropriation.
A total of 19 individuals have been arrested under this dossier since 23rd October 2022 to allow for investigations into alleged crimes.
Eng Mulindahabi and co-accused were arraigned before court early November for bail or remand hearing.
The court read related ruling on Tuesday 22nd November where it ordered the release of 12 individuals connected to the same case including En. Mulindahabi.
Meanwhile, six individuals including a storekeeper remained in custody.
During a previous hearing, the Prosecution said that the suspects are accused of stealing equipment worth Rwf113 million.
It is said that the case is connected to the theft of construction materials, plumbing supplies and steel used to make cooking vessels among others.
Ndayishimiye made the disclosure during a recent exclusive interview with RFI and France 24.
The President makes the statement at a time when EAC countries are sending troops to fight armed groups in DRC.
Ndayishimiye explained that efforts to restore peace in eastern DRC are underway as concerned countries agree to hold dialogues.
“Accepting to sit together is a good progress. I am convinced that there is a significant step forward,” he said.
Ndayishimiye also said that he has not yet identified the accuracy of DRC’s accusations against Rwanda.
“So far, we have not yet found any evidence, on behalf of the region and myself. However, we plan to have a consultation meeting with the mediator on this conflict [Angolan President Joao Lourenço]. We will have an opportunity to analyze the situation and establish the truth,” he said.
Ndayishimiye revealed that his country will send many battalions to DRC where some troops have been already deployed under the joint regional efforts.
Kenya and Uganda are among other countries that sent soldiers to DRC.
The dreams are about to come into reality as Afrinest Engineering firm is in its final stages constructing a boat dubbed Mantis Kivu Queen Uburanga with a floating hotel. The 35-meter long boat has 11 cabins, restaurants, a bar and hot tub among others.
Construction of the boat has reached 85%. It is being constructed at the shores of Lake Kivu in Bwishyura Sector of Karongi District, few minutes from Karongi town along the road to Nyamasheke District.
Buranga Hugues Simba, the Site Supervisor at Afrinest Engineering plant has told IGIHE that the firm seeks to position itself as the leading builder of boats in Rwanda suited for various purposes.
The plant which has over 80 employees including Rwandans and foreigners, is manufacturing boats for passengers and tourists.
At its premises, one can see other boats brought there to be repaired. Buranga has told IGIHE that the project began towards the end of 2019 but operations were affected by COVID-19.
“The establishment of this plant followed a market research where it was mainly driven by the strong need and large demand of the boats. Secondly, security is guaranteed in Lake Kivu like other parts of the country,” he said.
The plant seeks to manufacture boats of various types to meet the demand in Rwanda but foreigners including Congolese have already expressed interest in having custom-made modern boats.
Afrinest Engineering also plans to manufacture 75-meter long boats, where some of them will have night clubs, several cabins and bars among others.
Buranga has explained that they started with tourists’ boat because it was much needed.
After the completion of Mantis Kivu Queen Uburanga, several boats with the same type are expected to follow.
The first boat of its kind will be handed over to Mantis, a hotel operator which provides sustainable and flexible hotel management solutions.
Buranga has revealed that setting up the plant in Karongi did not come by accident because the area has a large number of islands and other natural features reducing the pressure of wind where boats in the harbour and manufacturing facility will remain safe from effects of water waves.
According to Buranga, the project is part of a long-term investment as the company plans to have 300 employees in the next five years.
“The plant is here for long term not just to operate for three years and close. Our products will range from cargo boats, passenger boats, boats for tourists and recreational activities among others,” he said.
The plant is a joint venture between a foreigner and Rwandans who own majority shares.
Among others, the company mulls establishing a school to train the youth and other interested individuals in boating knowledge and skills.
Rwanda’s Presidency has revealed that President Kagame also attended the launch of “Scoring the Goals” Campaign hosted by Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, co-founder and chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education.
Kagame arrived in Qatar on Sunday where he attended the opening ceremony of FIFA World Cup 2022.
The pavilion to bring to limelight the United Nations (UN) SDGs is being visited by attendees of the FIFA World Cup 2022 from 20th November.
On Monday 21st November, the pavilion was also visited by the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres who held talks with Sheikha Moza on topics including possible processes to mobilize funding to support education as one of SDGs.
The 17 Goals were adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which set out a 15-year plan to achieve the Goals.
They have been aligned with Agenda 2063 aimed at enhancing Africa’s self-reliance.
It has been pointed out that action is needed to address the issue of inadequate funding hindering smooth implementation of the goals, a situation that was exacerbated by the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic and the war between Russia and Ukraine.
President Kagame and Mrs. Jeannette Kagame arrived in Qatar on Saturday 19th November 2022 at the invitation of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani who is a great friend of Rwanda to share the joy of hosting the World Cup 2022.
The reception was attended by other leaders including the President of Senegal, Macky Sall and the President of the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA), Gianni Infantino.
Also present, were other dignitaries including the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres; Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas and his counterpart of Niger, Abdelmadjid Tebboune; the Prince of Saudi Arabi, Mohammed bin Salman among others.
The opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup 2022 held on Sunday 20th November saw Ecuador beating Qatar 2-0.
Last week, another parliamentarian identified as Gamariel Mbonimana resigned following reports that he was caught driving while drunk at different times.
Habiyaremye resigns after a short video showing him in heated argument with Traffic Police officers on duty went viral on social media.
He has told IGIHE that the video was taken in March 2021 noting that his resignation has nothing to do with the video.
“I would have resigned that time if it was connected to the same case. It has been more than one year and nine months since that happened. So, I have resigned for personal reasons. There are instances when one makes self-evaluation and find it necessary to resign,” said Habiyaremye.
The parliamentarian is from Rwanda’s ruling party, RPF Inkotanyi.
The soldier was shot dead in Gasutamo Village, Mbugangari Cell of Gisenyi Sector in Rubavu District in the night of Friday leading to Saturday 19th November 2022.
A statement released by Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) on Saturday indicated that the soldier crossed through the small border between the two countries in Rubavu District and started shooting at Rwandan soldiers on patrol, which prompted them to shot him dead.
Congolese Army spokesman in Northern Kivu, Lt Col Guillaume Ndjike Kaiko has confirmed to the media that the soldier shot dead is from FARDC.
“Following an investigation, we have established that he is a soldier of Congo who was recently deployed to Northern Kivu. He knew well border demarcations between Rwanda and Congo,” he said.
He further stated that the soldier was on patrol along with colleagues and mistakenly crossed the border between Rwanda and DRC.
Following his death, the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM) was informed of the incident.
The EJVM is a mechanism of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) composed of military officers from the 12 member countries that is charged with monitoring and verification of border violations between DRC and neighbouring countries.
The Congolese soldier was shot dead in 50 meters from no man’s land. He is the third shot dead at the border between the two countries this year.
The first was shot dead in June as he crossed into Rwanda with a rapid fire on Rwandan police personnel and residents crossing the border.
The second was shot dead in Busasamana Sector of Rubavu District early August.
His death follows protests by Congolese accusing Rwanda of supporting M23 rebel group in clashes with Congolese Army.
Rwanda has however denied the allegations and accuses DRC of working with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) in the fight with M23.
FDLR is a terrorist group formed by individuals responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Mushikiwabo was re-elected on Saturday November 2022 during the 18th Summit of Heads of State from Francophonie held in Djerba of Tunisia. The summit ran from 19th to 20th November 2022.
Mushikiwabo was elected as OIF Secretary-General for the first time in 2018 and assumed office in 2019.
This time around, she was the sole candidate competing for the position. Heads of State and governments attending the summit unanimously re-elected her for another four-year term.
During her first term, the organization underwent reforms aimed at finding durable solutions for pressing issues facing the world including security threats and environmental degradation among others.
She explained that the reforms have started yielding while more are in the pipeline to keep the organization’s development on the turning wheel.
Mushikiwabo highlighted that OIF will in the coming years draw attention on projects in the areas of education, technology, trade and economy promising to foster the creation of employments for the youth.
The summit is usually held once every two years. It was initially scheduled to be hosted in 2020 but was postponed two times due to the Covid-19 pandemic and political crisis in the host country, Tunisia.
OIF comprises 88 member states and governments; of these, 54 states and governments are full members, 7 are associate members and 27 are observers.
According to the released financial statement, the lender’s profit reached Rwf10.2 billion , translating into an increase by 22% as at 30th September 2022 from Rwf8.3 billion of the same period last year.
Generally, the bank reported Rwf30.5 billion in net revenue before impairment provisions, up by 25 per cent year-on-year, supported by 20 per cent growth in net interest income and a result of a better product mix as well as a build-out of Non funded Income up by 47 per cent year-on-year.
In the period under review, operating expenses increased by 21 per cent year-on-year to Rwf17.5 billion, driven by investments in business growth and the continued deployment of technology to improve customer services and product lines.
Hence, the cost-to-income ratio was 57.8 per cent and the profit after tax during the period was Rwf6.6 billion, an increase of 22 per cent from Rwf5.4 billion in the third quarter of 2021.
The loan book and net advances to customers increased by 9 per cent to Rwf243 billion from Rwf222 billion at the end of 2021, whereas deposits held for customers and financial institutions increased by 7 per cent to Rwf350 billion from Rwf327 billion at the end of 2021, resulting in a loan-to-deposit ratio of 69.4 per cent.
In line with the strategy to efficiently deploy its capital, the bank made total financial investments of Rwf119 billion, an increase of 30 per cent from Rwf91.5 billion reported at the end of December 2021.
The Managing Director of I&M Bank, Robin Bairstow said that the lender registered steady growth in terms of customers in the third quarter of 2022 with an increase by 32% compared to last year.
The bank also saw improved efficiency in transactions with significant growth in digital adoption where 74 per cent of all customer-initiated transactions in the bank now go through digital channels, consequently driving improvements in efficiency and customer satisfaction.
I&M Bank Rwanda also rolled out ‘Ganza with I&M’ campaign where it supported clients’ projects, provided financial advisory services among others.
It was meant to provide funding to Small and Medium Enterprises to mitigate effects of COVID-19.
The bank also stayed close to clients in different parts of the country including Rubavu and Musanze to meet their needs.
Bairstow also reiterated the bank’s commitment to continue walking with clients to cope with barriers related to the soaring inflation.
I&M Bank (Rwanda) Plc began operation in Rwanda in 1963.
