The Nyarugenge Intermediate Court on Monday granted bail to Benoit Munyankindi, the Secretary General of the Rwanda Cycling Federation (FERWACY), during the ongoing proceedings of his appeal.

The presiding judge emphasized that given the progress of the investigations and the clarifications provided by Munyankindi, there are insufficient grounds to continue remanding the suspect.

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Munyankindi had filed an appeal against the decision of the Kicukiro Primary Court, which had ordered his remand on charges related to the use of forged documents, favoritism, and nepotism.

During a hearing last week, Munyankindi maintained that his appeal was rooted in the belief that he was unjustly remanded for a crime he did not commit. He argued that the lower court had failed to acknowledge the surety he had provided, alongside his detailed explanation.

According to the prosecution, Munyankindi was accused of demonstrating favoritism and nepotism by including his wife on the official delegates list for an overseas cycling competition, a decision allegedly facilitated by using forged documents.

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In his defense, Munyankindi denied the charges. He argued that his wife held a leadership position within a cycling team based in Nyabihu district and was a member of FERWACY. Munyankindi cited a General Assembly meeting of the federation that had collectively agreed to permit members to fund their involvement in the team's activities independently.

Munyankindi's wife, as a member, had taken this initiative as she had three players under her care in the team and independently covered her own expenses. Additionally, her identification badge clearly indicated her role as an accompanying member rather than an official representative of Ferwacy.

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Furthermore, Munyankindi underscored that he did not possess the authority to make independent decisions; his role was restricted to preparing documents for approval and signature by the federation's president.