The governments of Rwanda and Guinea are exploring judicial cooperation to strengthen the fight against economic and financial crimes, with a focus on sharing expertise, building capacity and facilitating cross-border investigations.
The discussions took place on Monday, October 26, during a meeting between Domitilla Mukantaganzwa, Chief Justice of Rwanda, and Alphonse Charles Wright, Guinea’s Special Prosecutor at the Court for the Repression of Economic and Financial Offences. Wright was accompanied by Souleymane Savané, Guinea’s ambassador to Rwanda.
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Harrison Mutabazi, the Spokesperson for the Judiciary of Rwanda, said the Guinean delegation wanted to learn from Rwanda’s experience in investigating, prosecuting and trying economic and financial crimes.
The proposed cooperation would also help the two countries exchange knowledge across different areas of justice and prevent either country from becoming a safe haven for criminals fleeing prosecution elsewhere.
Mutabazi said Rwanda was open to working with Guinea, noting that the country had already established judicial cooperation with other African states to share expertise and improve justice delivery.
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He said the partnership would offer opportunities for both countries to learn from each other’s experiences and strengthen their capacity to handle cross-border crimes.
Alphonse Charles Wright said Rwanda’s progress in handling economic and financial crimes made it a valuable partner, adding that judicial cooperation should complement the diplomatic relations between the two countries.
"When diplomatic and political relations are geared towards converging on shared interests, it naturally follows that these ties should also be strengthened in the judicial sector,” he said.
He said Guinea intends to submit a memorandum outlining potential areas of cooperation through its ambassador to Rwanda.
"For us, the first area of cooperation should be the sharing of expertise between the two countries to further strengthen the achievements each has made,” Wright said.
He said the partnership could also cover extradition requests and assistance in judicial investigations, including the execution of letters rogatory (formal requests for legal assistance from another jurisdiction).
Such cooperation, he said, would help the countries handle cases involving suspected financial crimes while respecting the presumption of innocence.
Wright also pointed to Rwanda’s use of digital technology in criminal investigations as an area from which Guinea could learn.
"What I particularly appreciated, however, is the digitisation of investigative procedures. Rwanda is already ahead in this area,” he said.
He noted that Guinea had made progress in electronic signatures, adding that cooperation should allow both countries to share their respective experiences.
"Why not allow our countries to learn from Rwanda, and vice versa?” he said.
Wright said he hoped the proposed partnership would translate into concrete initiatives, arguing that African countries should increasingly draw on one another’s expertise to strengthen their institutions and justice systems.