{A manager of a Savings and Credit Co-operative (SACCO) Terimbere branch in Ruharambuga Sector of Nyamasheke District has been arrested following alleged fraud and misappropriation of funds amounting to over Rwf37 million. }
Jean Pierre Nkundibiza was apprehended on November 26 following an audit which discovered that millions of money couldn’t be accounted for, Inspector of Police (IP) Theobald Kanamugire, Police spokesperson for the Western region, said.
“A team from RCA (Rwanda Cooperative Agency) has since Thursday (last week) been conducting an audit at the SACCO branch but since day one, the team has been discovering more money missing,” IP Kanamugire said.
“There are two people implicated in this scam so far; the manager, who is accused of stealing a total of Rwf14,701, 000 and the accountant identified as Bernard Gasore, who is wanted for defrauding Rwf22, 376, 740,” he added.
“When the audit team arrived, they requested both Nkundibiza and Gasore to show their books of accounts, but few minutes later, Gasore excused himself to go for a short-call and used this chance to run away even when the team hadn’t discovered anything against him or the manager.”
He said that thorough investigations are still underway to locate Gasore and “all those that could be connected to this scam to bring them to justice.”
“You know corruption is a taboo in Rwanda and fighting it is a collective responsibility, so anyone with information on this specific fraud on any other financial malpractices is welcome so that we uproot this habit from the country,” IP Kanamugire emphasised.
Embezzlement of public or private funds is punishable under article 325 of the penal code with attracting a penalty of up to ten years in prison and a fine of two to five times the value of the embezzled or destroyed property.
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