Expedite investigations into Gisimenti building auction saga

Justice Minister Tharcisse Karugarama has halted the auctioning of a building at Gisimenti, Kigali, by Rwanda Commercial Bank (BCR).

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Justice Minister Tharcisse Karugarama has halted the auctioning of a building at Gisimenti, Kigali, by Rwanda Commercial Bank (BCR).The development follows allegations that several people separately secured court orders to auction the same building, which belongs to Genocide convict Etienne Nzabonimana. Nzabonimana, a businessman convicted in Belgium on June 29, 2005, for his role in the Genocide, in the 1990s allegedly acquired about Rwf297m loan from BCR under his company, Nosocorwa which he failed to repay.The saga raises more questions than it answers. How is it possible that several people could secure court orders to auction the same building? A lot in this saga does not add up.

Expeditious investigations should be done to establish the truth about this building. If the owner had a bank loan and had staked the building as security, the courts should have been able to establish this before issuing court orders to Genocide survivors to auction the facility. 

Did the courts establish the status of the facility before going ahead to issue orders for its auction to pay reparations for Genocide survivors?Who is not telling the truth in this case? The revelations from this reveal more than meets the eye. Like the Minister said, there is a lot that is unclear about this issue. The special committee which has been put in place to investigate the case should leave no stone unturned. There’s need to investigate this saga and come to a logical conclusion. Whoever is responsible for the confusion surrounding this saga should be held accountable.