The Gasabo Intermediate Court has adjourned the appeal ruling in the case of the four suspects involved in the Urukumbuzi estate, commonly known as Kwa Dubai in Kinyinya sector. The ruling, initially set for Friday, June 23 has been rescheduled to June 28 due to case backlog.

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The suspects include Jean Nsabimana, a local businessman responsible for the real estate project, Stephen Rwamulangwa, the former Mayor of Gasabo district, former Vice Mayor Raymond Chrétien Mberabahizi, and Jeanne d&039;Arc Nyirabihogo, the former director of the One Stop Center, who is currently in custody.

The lower court determined that there are grounds to suspect their involvement in the substandard construction.

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All four individuals appealed against their remand, contesting the lower court's decision. However, due to the court's overwhelming workload, the ruling was postponed to next week.

Meanwhile, Nsabimana faces charges of forgery and fraud, while the district officials are charged with abuse of office.

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According to prosecutors, in 2013, Nsabimana signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Gasabo District to construct 300 affordable houses in the Kinyinya sector. By 2017, 120 houses had been built and put up for sale, with prices ranging from Rwf15 million to Rwf45 million.

However, in 2015, a report from the Rwanda House Authority (RHA) raised concerns about the substandard quality of the houses. The report instructed the construction company to rectify the identified issues within a month, but no corrective action was taken.

A subsequent inspection by the RHA in 2017 revealed the persistence of the same mistakes.

As a result, the buyers faced problems with the substandard houses, including leaking roofs, cracking walls, poor plumbing, unsafe electrical installations, and inadequate sewerage systems.

During a hearing on June 16, the suspects' lawyers argued that one of the grounds for their appeal is that the 2018 anti-corruption law, which the prosecutors used against them, was enacted after the alleged offenses were committed.

"The MoU for which they are being prosecuted was signed in 2013, before the anti-corruption law came into effect. How did they commit a crime that didn't even exist back then?" questioned Angele Buzayire, the lawyer representing Nyirabihogo.

The other defense attorneys made the same argument, contending that the primary court should not have accepted the case considering this factor.

However, the prosecutors maintained that the effect of the MoU was not limited to the year it was signed, as the project is still ongoing.