The High Court in Kigali has postponed, to December 12, the delivery of its verdict in the appeal case of Antoine Ruvebana, the former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDIMAR). In 2018, MIDIMAR was restructured and renamed the Ministry in Charge of Emergency Management (MINEMA) to strengthen disaster risk management and emergency response in the country.

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A ruling had initially been scheduled for November 21, but the court deferred the date due to the presiding judge’s heavy workload.

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On October 20, the High Court heard Ruvebana’s appeal challenging the 10-year sentence issued by the Gasabo Intermediate Court after he was found guilty of defilement. The October session was held behind closed doors. Ruvebana and the prosecution appealed the earlier decision, each disputing different elements of the ruling.

In March 2023, Gasabo Intermediate Court convicted Ruvebana of defiling a victim identified by the protected code name VAF. The court based its decision on testimonies from the victim and two corroborating witnesses, BCF and BEF, as well as a psychological report supporting the prosecution’s case.

Throughout the lower court proceedings, also held in camera, Ruvebana maintained his innocence, arguing that he had been framed by his wife amid a divorce dispute.

According to prosecutors, the crime occurred between 2005 and 2013, beginning when the victim was six years old and continuing until she turned 14. During much of that period, Ruvebana was serving as a diplomat in Switzerland.

Although prosecutors requested a 25-year sentence, the intermediate court handed down a 10-year term, noting that it was his first prosecution.

Ruvebana served as Permanent Secretary at MIDIMAR from 2012 to 2017.