Minaloc PS, co-accused found not guilty and acquitted
Minaloc Permanent Secretary Cyrille Turatsinze. (file photo)
After finding them not guilty, Nyarugenge intermediate court has on Friday acquitted Cyrille Turatsinze, the Permanent Secretary in Ministry of Local Government (Minaloc), and his co-accused Réné Harelimana Rwego, who were alleged of corruption and ordered their immediate release.
The PS was apprehended on July 21 under allegations of soliciting a bribe worth Frw 2 million from an unidentified businessman who had won a tender of supplying IT equipments at Minaloc by promising him to get more other tenders of the ministry in the future.
The court concluded that that’s impossible given that he is not even a member of the committee offering tenders.
Concerning the evidence of recorded voices presented by the prosecution, allegedly being of Turatsinze’s phone calls while planning how the bribe would be conducted, the court concluded that they could not find the accused guilty because there were no facts that the voice was really Turatsunze’s.
Rwego, the co-accused who was arrested on July 20 allegedly of receiving Frw 490,000 from Turatsinze, has also refuted the allegations against him saying that the money he received was rather from selling his computer.
The court ordered that the two defendants — detained at Kicukiro Police Station — be acquitted and released immediately.
Last week, the prosecution had proposed a seven-year sentence in jail and payment of a fine of Frw 20 million against Turatsinze.
Recently, the in charge of planning in MINALOC Egide Rugamba told the press it was shame that an official of that caliber be suspected of being involved into bribes, most importantly because it betrays their responsibility as a ministry in charge of the wellbeing of the community by promoting zero tolerance to corruption.
However, Rugamba on behalf of MINALOC, said the ministry trusts the Rwandan courts and believes they would reach the truth over the case.
Posted by Eric Didier Karinganire
on Aug 11 2012. Filed under Daily News, National.
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