The Nyarugenge Intermediate Court has convicted and sentenced three individuals, including a former football coach, a judge, and another individual, in connection to the case of football coach David Rumanzi who fled the country. The convicted individuals are Rumanzi, former coach of Amavubi Under-13 team at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) Academy Rwanda; Eric Twambajimana, a Nyarugenge Intermediate Court judge; and Emmanuel Mwenedata. ALSO READ: Who is Rumanzi, the football coach seeking asylum in Europe? Rumanzi and Twambajimana were found guilty of forgery of documents and have been sentenced to two years and six months, with one and a half years suspended. This implies that they will serve one year in prison. On the other hand, Mwenedata received a three-month sentence for not reporting a felony. Throughout the trial, Rumanzi was absent, while Twambajimana and Mwenedata have been in custody since March 10. ALSO READ: Kigali judge arrested over forgery In March, Twambajimana was arrested for issuing fake summon papers from the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) to Rumanzi, who was seeking asylum in Europe after fleeing the country in May 2022. Rumanzi and other coaches had accompanied the boys' U-13 PSG Academy Rwanda team to the PSG Academy World Cup in France. However, on May 25, when the team returned home, Rumanzi chose to stay in France and seek refuge. Reports indicate that he faced challenges in obtaining asylum documents; Rumanzi solicited the help of his friend Twambajimana. Twambajimana, in turn, used his position to create fake RIB summons papers for Rumanzi to aid him in seeking asylum in a European country. Unfortunately, for them, these documents were confiscated at Kigali International Airport before reaching Rumanzi.
