Man arrested for attempting to bribe local leader

{Police in Gasabo district has arrested a 52-year for attempting to bribe a local leader with Rwf10, 000 so that he could illegally build a house.}

Vincent Bambonangenda, a resident of Rukiri Cell of Remera sector is alleged to have attempted to bribe the Cell Executive Secretary so as to proceed with construction of a house illegally.

The local leader then informed the police about the alleged bribe which the suspect had sent on his mobile account.

Bambonangenda has since confessed to the offense saying that indeed he sent Rwf10, 000 to the local leader through mobile money transfer.

He revealed that initially he had been stopped from putting up a house but “I thought I could bribe local leaders to allow me continue to build my house without proper papers.”

The suspect is currently held at Remera police station as investigations into the matter continue.

Reacting to the issue, the Police Spokesperson for Central Region, Superintendent of Police (SP) Modeste Mbabazi, urged the public to avoid such malpractices saying that the end-results are always troublesome.

“This is a direct warning to any member of the public who seek to bribe their way out of wrongdoing. It takes nothing to respect the la. Fighting corruption should be made a tradition among all Rwandans,” said SP Mbabazi.

He added that “This is a country that has a zero-stance on such vices and we must fight against it before it occurs. We also call on the public to report any attempt of bribes. Such malpractices also have grave effects on the services people receive saying that that’s why the fight against corruption is a call for all Rwandans.

Article 640 of the penal code stipulates that, “any person who explicitly or implicitly offers, directly or indirectly proposes or promises a gift or any other illegal benefit, to a person in charge of a service, mission or mandate in order to render a service to him or her or somebody else, shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of two years to five years and a fine of two to ten times the value of the illegal benefit granted.”