Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) on Tuesday, September 19, handed over the file of Jean-Bosco Harelimana, the former Director General of Rwanda Cooperative Agency (RCA), to the National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA).

Harelimana who was arrested on September 14 is suspected of crimes including flouting public tender procedures and abuse of public resources.

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RIB’s Spokesperson Thierry Murangira, told the media that his arrest was based on an investigation conducted in relation to offenses he is suspected of committing while he led the institution.

In January, Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente dropped Harelimana from leading RCA, owing to managerial failure. Details related to his sacking were not made public at that time.

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The RCA is the institution charged with promoting and regulating the cooperatives sector in Rwanda. Earlier this year, figures from RCA indicated that there are about 9,706 cooperatives in Rwanda with a share capital of more than Rwf47.8 billion.

All the cooperatives count over five million members (comprising over 2.77 million men, and over 2.25 million women).

Since its inception, cooperatives have been crucial in improving the welfare of Rwandans, particularly the role Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs) played in boosting financial inclusion in the country.