Two officials in Muhanga District have been taken into custody over allegations of corruption linked to illegal state forest logging, according to the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB). Germain Nteziyaremye, the Executive Secretary of Rongi Sector, and Francine Gatesi, a crime investigator, were arrested on Thursday, February 27, according to RIB spokesperson Thierry Murangira. ALSO READ: Rutsiro District official arrested over corruption “They allegedly solicited and received a bribe of Rwf150,000 and were complicit in securing the release of a person who was being held for damaging a state forest,” Murangira told The New Times, on Friday. The suspects are detained at the Nyarugenge RIB Station while their case file is being prepared for submission to the prosecution, he added. ALSO READ: Corruption: New index shows 18% drop in bribery encounters They face a prison sentence of five to seven years and a fine three to five times the value of the illegal benefit they allegedly received. RIB spokesperson reiterated that corruption would not be tolerated, adding it is a non-prescriptible crime. He also called on citizens to report corruption.
