Kicukiro Primary Court has postponed the bail hearing of Dieudonné Ishimwe, commonly known as ‘Prince Kid’, who is pinned on three charges which are rape, soliciting or offering sexual favours, and harassment. The CEO of Rwanda Inspirational Backup, the company that organized the Miss Rwanda beauty pageant, was clothed in a sky blue shirt, a dark blue suit, and black safari boots. The hearing started at about 09:10 AM, after which the presiding judge was notified that the Ishimwes lawyer had not yet arrived in the courtroom, prompting the judge to put it on hold. Around 09:58 AM, the hearing resumed after the defence lawyer, Emeline Nyembo, walked into the courtroom. However, she immediately requested a postponement of the hearing arguing that she has not yet accessed indictment from the electronic case management system. The prosecution also agreed to the postponement, to give the lawyer time to go through the case and prepare her client’s defence. The presiding judge resolved to adjourn the trial to May 13, and also ordered prosecution to immediately avail 1the indictment. Ishimwe was arrested on April 26 over charges related to sexual abuse towards contestants of the beauty pageant on various occasions. Meanwhile, on Monday, May 9, RIB confirmed the arrest of Elsa Iradukunda, Miss Rwanda 2017, in connection with Prince Kids case. Iradukunda and Prince Kid were reportedly dating and The New Times understands that the beauty queen has been lobbying former Miss Rwanda contestants to sign affidavits absolving the suspect. Prince Kid started organizing Miss Rwanda in 2014 through his company, which has seen the annual event become one of the most popular in the country. However, the Minister of Youth and Culture Rosemary Mbabazi has announced the official halt of Rwanda Inspiration Backup from organizing the annual beauty pageant, following several allegations of misconduct and abuse towards contestants.
