Jean d’Amour Majyambere’s vehicle had failed gas emission test on several occasions when he tried to give a bribe of Rwf20,000 in order to have his vehicle cleared.
“Majyambere’s vehicle, Toyota Carina RAA 333U, had failed gas emission test many times. The vehicle required an overhaul to fix the fuel emission problem.
He thought that bribing technicians would give him a roadworthy certificate, but he was arrested in the act after Police officers reported the attempted bribery to their superior,” CP John Bosco Kabera, the RNP spokesperson, said.
He warned the public against such criminal acts of attempting to bribe Police officers or service providers.
Article 4 of the law N° 54/2018 of 13/08/2018 on fighting against corruption states that any person who offers, solicits, accepts or receives, by any means, an illegal benefit for himself/ herself or another person or accepts a promise in order to render or omit a service under his or her mandate or uses his or her position to render or omit a service, commits an offence.
Upon conviction, he/she is liable to imprisonment for a term of more than five (5) years but not more than even (7) years with a fine of three (3) to five (5) times the value of the illegal benefit offered, solicited or received.
The arrest of Majyambere came a day after another driver was also arrested at Gikondo Mobile Test Lane as he tried to cheat the gas emission test after he removed air filters.
Another man was arrested last week at Remera automobile inspection centre after technicians detected that he had also removed air filters and drained filter container in order to beat fuel emission test.
The accusations are part of a statement released by DR Congo on Tuesday 24th January 2023 after Rwanda shot at a warplane Sukhoi-25 belonging to Congolese Army (FARDC) violating its airspace in Rubavu District.
Short videos shared on social media show that the fighter jet flew back to Goma airport where firefighters extinguished its burning right wing.
However, the Government of Congo has through a statement released by government spokesman Patrick Muyaya refuted the violation of Rwanda’s airspace claiming that the fighter jet was attacked during its landing in Goma.
He said that directing the fire at a Congolese aircraft is a provocation inciting war and aimed at reversing the progress of Luanda and Nairobi processes to restore peace in eastern Congo and the Great Lakes Region.
In the morning of Tuesday 24th January 2023, M23 captured Kitchanga region in Northern Kivu Province after hours of intense fighting against the Congolese Army.
DR Congo has again blamed Rwanda for the attacks claiming that they are happening at a time when the country begins to register eligible voters and demanded the international community to exert pressure on Rwanda and M23 rebel group to stop actions that may tamper with elections’ preparations.
A political analyst and journalist, Tite Gatabazi has observed that the statement reaffirm other utterances of Muyaya that ‘elections won’t take place’.
“Complaining that Rwanda wants to disrupt elections is a stand taken by DRC to put its problems on the shoulders of Rwanda,” he said.
Gatabazi continued to explain that the failure of Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi to facilitate access to education, build decent roads and health facilities, provide electricity and safe water among other basic utilities prompts him to divert citizens’ attention by externalizing his country’s problems.
“Tshisekedi is dodging Luanda and Nairobi peaceful processes to postpone elections and tries to find a reason to convince Congolese citizens that Rwanda is behind the turmoil that triggered delays,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission in DRC (INEC) is being denied support and necessary resources to fulfill its mandate.
The commission has been claiming that it is not ready because it was denied funds to make preparations on time. Besides, there have been irregularities in the registration of eligible voters as well as in the issuance voters’ cards, identity cards and passports.
The INEC has for several times requested equipment facilitating voters’ registration exercise upcountry but ended to no avail.
“This shows how there are no external factors influencing poor preparations by the electoral commission. The onus remains on DR Congo government,” said Gatabazi.
President Paul Kagame recently accused Congolese President of seeking an excuse to postpone presidential polls by putting security problems in eastern Congo on the shoulders of Rwanda.
“[…] If he is trying to find another way of having the next elections postponed, then I would rather he used other excuses not us,” he said.
The statement is part of the Head of State’s speech towards the end of last year after receiving the oaths of newly appointed cabinet members including the new Minister of Health, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana and the State Minister in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Ivan Butera.
The EAPCCO is a regional law enforcement body bringing together 14 member countries. It was founded in 1998 as a regional practical response to the need to join police effort against transnational and organized crime.
Sports is one of the disciplines devised by member states to bring together regional law enforcement agencies towards a common goal.
The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) in charge of Administration and Personnel, Jeanne Chantal Ujeneza, while opening the three-day preparation meeting, observed that sports is a unifying factor in realizing the EAPCCO agenda.
“This will not be a competition but getting together, playing together and showing our citizens of our mission as Police officers and Police institutions, which is to ensure security of our countries and the region,” DIGP Ujeneza said.
Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Bosco Gahigi, from Interpol central bureau in Nairobi, said sports carries critical ingredients of information sharing and fighting crimes through networking.
Law enforcement agencies from the 14 EAPCCO countries will compete in 16 sports disciplines, including athletics, football, basketball, handball and boxing. Others include beach volleyball, Karate, Taekwondo, Table Tennis, netball, Judo, rugby and shooting.
The arrest of Aaron Dushimimana, on Tuesday, January 24, came three days after another man was arrested at Remera automobile inspection centre for similar vehicle inspection violations.
Rwanda National Police (RNP) spokesperson, Commissioner of Police CP John Bosco Kabera said that Dushimimana’s vehicle, registration number RAE 514Y, Dyna type, had failed two gas emission tests.
“During two previous inspections, the same vehicle was found to be emitting gas, which he was supposed to fix.
On his third inspection on Tuesday, technicians detected a foul-play as Dushimimana had removed the air filter so as to pass the test. He was subsequently taken into custody for the serious violation of motor vehicle inspection regulations,” CP Kabera said.
The vehicle was also impounded, he added. Gas emission test is one of the key mechanical areas inspected at automobile centres to fight vehicle emissions in the country.
CP Kabera warned owners of vehicles and drivers against such violations.
He added that technicians are trained to detect these malpractices and commended the public, who report such irregularities.
As per claim filed last year, the family of Rusesabagina who was handed 25-year jail term, says that he was lured into Rwanda from the United States where he had been granted refugee status. It further reads that Rusesabagina was kidnapped under a breach of Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.
His family also claimed that the Government of Rwanda, its leader and former Minister of Justice and State Attorney General, Amb. Johnston Busingye were involved in the process ‘of abducting and luring Rusesabagina into Rwanda’.
The lawsuit further indicates that Rusesabagina was drugged and taken to Rwanda where he was ‘tortured and imprisoned illegally’.
In consideration of these objections, the family demanded his release as well as a compensation worth US$400 million (over Rwf409 billion).
The court’s decision on 23rd January 2023 reaffirmed Rwanda’s position that it did not kidnap Rusesabagina who is serving his 25-year sentence after he was found guilty of terrorism charges.
Judge Richard J. Leon stated that the lawsuit is not persuasive where there is no evidence that Rwanda violated other country’s sovereignty.
During trial proceedings, the court resolved that Rusesabagina brought himself to Kigali after he was tricked into travelling to Burundi in 2020 by the promise of work.
As court proceedings began, the Deputy Spokesperson of the Government of Rwanda, Alain Mukuralinda said that the country was ready to defend its stand.
Since Rusesabagina was arrested in 2020, his family ignored the basis of accusations against him but kept sounding alarms to exert pressure on Rwandan government to release him.
The Court of Appeal recently upheld the 25-year jail term handed to Rusesabagina over membership of terrorist group and complicity in terrorism acts through by MRCD/FLN group which he led.
The crimes were committed between 2018 and 2019 when MRDC/FLN combatants plotted attacks to Rwanda which claimed lives of nine innocent residents in Southern Province.
They left many others gravely injured, and caused significant material and economic damage in South-West Rwanda.
90 victims in this case from the districts of Nyaruguru, Rusizi and Nyamagabe have appealed for compensations amounting to over Rwf1.6 billion.
This incident is a violation of Rwanda’s airspace for the third time since November 2022.
Short videos and photos shared on social media show the warplane’s left wing burning and the other side of the plane with bullet holes.
The warplane was shot but did not crash down immediately and continued to fly until it landed at Goma airport where firefighters rushed to put out fire on the burning wing.
Following the incident, the Government of Rwanda released a statement announcing that defensive measures were taken and warned the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) against repetitive provocations.
“Today at 5:03 pm, a Sukhoi-25 from the DR Congo violated Rwanda airspace for the third time. Defensive measures were taken. Rwanda asks the DRC to stop this aggression,” reads the brief statement.
Witnesses who were at the small border between Rwanda and DRC have told IGIHE that they heard loud explosion while returning from Goma and saw a jet in the sky flying back to Congo.
Previously, DRC’s fighter jets violated Rwanda’s airspace two times where one landed briefly at Rubavu airport.
Rwanda has condemned provocations by DRC which has been in the past few days making utterances alluding to imminent attacks on it.
On Wednesday last week, Congolese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Christophe Lutundula released a statement whose conclusion reflected previous utterances by Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi at the United Nations (UN) Security Council on 20th November 2022 where he said that his country resolved ‘to put an end to insecurity in eastern part of the country whatever the cost’.
Reacting to the statement, Rwanda referred to it as a threat of war.
Goma airport where DRC’s jets are parked is currently used by mercenaries from Europe who manage it and oversee maintenance of the Sukhoi fighter jets acquired from Russia.
Recently, the Government of Rwanda released a statement indicating that the recruitment of foreign mercenaries by the DRC is a clear indication that the country ‘is preparing for war, and not peace’.
President Paul Kagame recently said that Rwanda is overstocked to deal with those mercenaries, if need be.
{{Related stories: }}
[Rwanda says DRC fighter jet violates its airspace ->https://en.igihe.com/news/article/rwanda-says-drc-fighter-jet-violates-its-airspace]
[Rwanda condemns repeated violations of its airspace by DRC fighter jets->https://en.igihe.com/news/article/rwanda-condemns-repeated-violations-of-its-airspace-by-drc-fighter-jets]
[Rwanda condemns DRC over utterances alluding to imminent attacks->https://en.igihe.com/news/article/rwanda-accuses-drc-of-making-utterances-alluding-to-imminent-attacks]
[Kagame assures that Rwanda is overstocked to deal with DRC’s mercenaries->https://en.igihe.com/news/article/kagame-assures-that-rwanda-is-overstocked-to-deal-with-drc-s-mercenaries]
[DRC turns back on negotiations with Rwanda->https://en.igihe.com/news/article/drc-turns-back-on-negotiations-with-rwanda]
[The fate of DR Congo’s aircraft which violated Rwanda’s airspace 26 years ago->https://en.igihe.com/news/article/the-fate-of-dr-congo-s-aircraft-which-violated-rwanda-s-airspace-26-years-ago]
[DRC wants a war – Analysis->https://en.igihe.com/news/article/drc-wants-a-war-analysis]
