Rising Rwandan artiste Florien Uworizagwira, commonly known by his stage name as Yampano, has filed a lawsuit against the suspect accused of stealing the video of him and a woman he claims to be his girlfriend from his mobile phone and share it with the public without his permission.

The singer is currently under public scrutiny after the sex tape recently resurfaced on social media on November 9.

Yampano confirmed to The New Times that he filed the lawsuit against the suspect identified as Patrick Ishimwe, who is known in the showbiz industry as Pazzo, on November 9 after the viral video began circulating widely on social media platforms, particularly WhatsApp and Snapchat.

The two were living together in the same house in Busanza in Kicukiro District but, according to reports, their relationship was never the same since Yampano asked Pazzo to leave the house because his girlfriend "wanted some privacy.”

Yampano claims his former housemate to be behind the leaked sex tape because he had full access to his social media, one of which the sex tape was saved. Pazzo was managing the singer’s social media platforms where he was mainly posting song challenges to promote new releases.’

How did the video go public?

The infamous video, Yampano said, was recorded in May with full consent from his girlfriend. He was still living with the suspect. After filming it, he saved it on his social media.

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"My girlfriend and I filmed it privately during our personal time,” said the singer who insists it was never intended for public viewing.

Yampano said he never had a problem with the suspect having access to his phone because he was managing his social media.

"Since releasing my song "Sibyange”, he’s been helping me shoot short promotional clips and I would pay him 10% of my performance earnings.”

The singer, however, said he felt his privacy could be at risk the moment he told the suspect they were separating after he decided to live with his girlfriend.

As a result, Yampano told the suspect to log out of all his social media platforms.

Before leaving the house, he said, Pazzo demanded Rwf500,000 to start a new life.

"I initially gave him Rwf300,000 because I didn’t have enough money, but he refused to leave,” Yampano said. "I asked him, ‘Pazzo, are you really trying to make things tough for me? If I give you the full amount, will you move out?’ He agreed, so I gave it all to him, but he still hesitated to leave.”

Yampano recalled a moment when Ishimwe had stolen the video, much as he claimed he deleted it on the same day he took it.

"He started behaving strangely, and both my wife and I had a bad feeling. I didn’t hide any of my videos because I trusted him,” Yampano said.

A few days after Ishimwe moved out, friends started to tell him that the suspect had his sex tape.

"I also heard him admitting in an interview that he took the video from my phone and had shared only a screenshot with friends before deleting the video,” he said.

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Yampano said he was shocked when the sex tape resurfaced and began trending between November 9 and 10. He believes the leak could be part of a smear campaign aimed at damaging his reputation ahead of a slated performance in Paris, France, on November 17.

"There might be haters who didn’t want me to perform in Paris,” he said. "They wanted to ruin my image, so they leaked the video.”

"I would never leak such a personal video myself. That’s my private life and my family. I’m not after cheap and public attention. I’ve already earned my fame,” he added.

When contacted for comment, Ishimwe denied the allegations.

"I have never lived with him,” he said. "I was only his manager, as simple as that. I don’t accept the allegations. Thank you.”

Yampano maintained that the recording was consensual and done within their private space.

"It obviously affected her (his girlfriend) but not that much because we had discussed it for a long time and she’s coping. We’re just waiting for this bitter chapter to end and move on with our own business. We’re strong and trying to overshadow the social media pressure,” he said.

The New Times contacted the RIB Spokesperson Thierry Murangira for a comment on the case but efforts to get a feedback were futile.

What the law says

Under Article 143 of Rwanda’s 2018 Penal Code, public indecency is punishable by six months to two years in prison. A 2023 proposed amendment seeks to further define such offenses, including public nudity, with penalties of one to three-year imprisonment and fines ranging from Rwf300,000 to Rwf500,000.

Reference to this article, Jean Paul Ibambe, a Kigali-based lawyer, described the case as a combination of public indecency and cybercrime, adding that if the suspect is found guilty, he will be held liable.

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Ibambe also highlighted the need for greater digital literacy and personal responsibility online.

"People haven’t learned from past mistakes,” he said.

"There’s too much digital illiteracy. People don’t care enough about their online safety. Everyone should understand the law and practice self-protection. Digital literacy is part of that.”