NYARUGENGE - Police in Kigali have arrested four men suspected to have conspired to inflate the value of people’s property during an expropriation exercise in Kavumu cell, Mageragere sector in Nyarugenge District. This is where Kigali’s main prison, presently in Muhima, will be relocated.

Assistant Inspector of Police, Emmanuel Kabanda, said that Police were tipped off by the Ombudsman’s office early this week and immediately responded.

"It appears that after evaluating people’s land, they (people) were not given the real value of their property,” Kabanda said, explaining that some people had been escorted to the Bank only to be given a meagre amount compared to what was actually withdrawn.

"They would accompany a person to the bank with a cheque in his own names but later give him less than what was on the check,” Kabanda said.

The four suspects: Benjamin Kalima, who was sub-contracted to carry out land evaluation, Jean Luc Mutagoma, a Lands Engineer at the district offices and two district officials, Leopold Munyampeta and Theoneste Twagirayezu.

GEOINFO Africa ltd, a local company hired by the district to undertake the property appraisal, sub-contracted Kalima who it is alleged, fleeced Rwf 50,000 from each person whose plots he worked on.

When briefly interviewed by The New Times at the police station, Kalima denied having fleeced anyone.

"The accusations against me are not true and I cannot accept it. My legal representative can speak for me,” he said.

However, Twagirayezu, a coordinator in Kavumu cell, shamefacedly owned up, revealing more to journalists. He admitted his involvement in the scam, especially by giving false details and inflating lists of those to be compensated, among other things.

"They usually met at Hotel La Palise to share the money. I was given one million francs and my role was to get and avail the particulars of those women to the private contractor (Kalima),” Twagirayezu said, citing Josiane Mukantabana and Beatrice Izabiriza as some of the women whose particulars he listed.

Investigations are still going on and the four are expected to be presented in court very soon.

Ends