Seventy one inmates will be released from Nyarugenge Prison after they struck plea-bargain deals with prosecutors. In law, a plea bargain is an agreement between a defendant and a prosecutor, whereby the defendant pleads guilty to particular charges in exchange for a lenient sentence. Rwanda rolled out the arrangement in its criminal justice system in October last year. The use of plea-bargaining started with a five-year pilot phase in five intermediate courts: Gasabo, Nyarugenge, Gicumbi, Muhanga, and Musanze – exclusively covering cases of assault and theft. After its inauguration, 25 cases were successfully handled through the arrangement last year. On Friday, January 26, some 71 more cases were approved for the procedure, and according to the judiciary, a total of 71 prisoners are set to leave Nyarugenge prison as a result. “17 of them are to be released immediately, while the rest will be released subsequently,” the judiciary’s Spokesperson Harrison Mutabazi told The New Times. After reaching the plea bargain agreements with the prosecutors, approved by the judges of the respective courts, the inmates’ sentences were reduced, something that led to their release. Speaking about the importance of plea-bargaining, Mutabazi said it not only quickens the dispensation of justice, but also helps the prosecutors and investigators to lay hold on important information which is provided by the suspects in return for a lenient sentence. “In addition, it is something that will assist in the reduction of backlog in courts and overcrowding in the correctional facilities,” he noted. Marie-Louise Mukashema, a lawyer based in Kigali also praised the procedure, saying it is within the interest of justice if people who have agreed to cooperate with the prosecutors get reduced or suspended sentences. “We want the citizens to know more about this arrangement because it is for their benefit. They should know that they have an opportunity for plea-bargaining in case they are being prosecuted,” she noted. Jean Paul Ibambe, a lawyer working with the Legal Aid Forum, a non-governmental organization that promotes legal aid for the vulnerable, said there is need for more training so that legal professionals including lawyers, judges, registrars, and prosecutors will continue to understand the use of plea-bargaining because it is an important procedure in the dispensation of justice.
