The Nyarugenge Primary Court has granted conditional bail to Jean-Bosco Harelimana, the former Director General of the Rwanda Cooperatives Agency (RCA), and his co-accused. The case also involves, Claver Hakizimana, the procurement officer at RCA, and Liliane Gahongayire, a former logistics officer at the agency, who are facing charges related to the violation of public tender procedures and the misuse of public resources. ALSO READ: Former cooperative boss arraigned, denies all charges On October 4, while delivering the bail ruling, the presiding judge emphasized that the investigation had generated sufficient evidence confirming suspicions of conspiracy to misuse public resources by Harelimana and Hakizimana. However, they have granted bail with the condition of not leaving Kigali for a period of two months. Additionally, they are required to report to the prosecution every Friday during this two-month period. This decision was made based on several reasons, including the principle of allowing suspects to be prosecuted outside of jail and the progress that has been achieved in the case so far, among other factors. Furthermore, the presiding judge emphasized that there are no reasonable grounds to suspect that Harelimana committed both crimes of influence peddling and favoritism. The Judge used the same grounds to grant bail to Liliane Gahongayire who is being charged on allegations of awarding unjustified advantages. The courts ruled for the trio's immediate release following the ruling. ALSO READ: Former cooperative boss arraigned, denies all charges During a hearing that was held last month, the prosecution said that Harelimana and Hakizimana allegedly awarded a tender to a company that submitted a higher bid, despite the existence of other companies offering lower bids. Furthermore, they are accused of approving additional items and changes in prices within the tender without adhering to the established tender committee procedures. The prosecution pointed out that those changes increased the initial tender amount from Rwf 4 million to Rwf 11 million. ALSO READ: Former cooperatives agency boss arrested On Harelimana, it was highlighted that there are allegations of favoritism against him. The allegations are supported by the testimony of a former colleague, as well as a leaked audio. In the audio, he was heard admitting to having the authority to hire or fire individuals at his preference, among other concerning statements. In the Hakizimana case, the prosecution said that besides approving the tender, both Hakizimana and Gahongayire also agreed to the receipt of items with specifications that differed from the contract. For example, it was stated that they received chairs made from a different type of wood than what was originally specified in the contract. They all pleaded not guilty and requested bail. Harelimana countered the prosecution's claims by highlighting that the preparation and evaluation of tenders fell within the responsibilities of the procurement officer, who also happened to serve as the secretary of the tender committee. He went on to state that, when signing the tenders, he had been given assurances that all procedures were conducted accurately and in a transparent manner. Therefore, he requested to be granted bail, citing his role as a university lecturer with students relying on his instruction to continue their studies. He also emphasized his official address and offered a surety worth Rwf 80 million. In his defense, Hakizimana emphasized that the company that was given the tender had received approval from the tender committee and had been officially announced. Furthermore, all related information had been posted in the system. Gahongayire also denied charges, arguing that the allegations against her were groundless. She argued that what she was accused of did not fall within her responsibilities, emphasizing that she was not a member of the committee responsible for verifying the item specifications.
