Migabo acquitted

KIGALI - The Director General of Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS) Dr Tito Migabo walked to his freedom yesterday after Nyarugenge Court of Higher Instance cleared him of corruption charges. In her ruling, presiding Judge Diane Kayirangwa, said prosecution failed to produce sufficient evidence to pin Migabo on charges of tendering irregularities, corruption, and use and uttering of falsified documents. Migabo who had been on remand at Kigali Central Prison since May was acquitted alongside the chairman of RBS internal tender committee Philip Nzaire and a city businessman, Jean Paul Maniriho. Nzaire had been granted bail in May due to serious sickness. However, other co-accused Director of Administration and Finance Augustine Mwesigye and the Estate and Recovery Officer, Chris Besigye, were sentenced to two and a half years in prison. Judge Kayirangwa said the two pleaded guilty and according to the law their punishment was a maximum of five years but the sentence was minimal because they cooperated with the court. Migabo’s counsel Christopher Niyomugabo said: “We tried to prove our case that there are no serious incriminating cases and court observed it and my client has been declared innocent. There has been transparency in this case.” Migabo and other senior RBS officials were all arrested in May and charged with illegal awarding of tenders in the institution, corruption and use of and uttering falsified documents. Prosecution had alleged that the accused created ‘ghost’ companies, and forged their own statutes and stamps in order to win tenders. Migabo has led RBS since its inception in 2002. The Bureau is in charge of undertaking all activities pertaining to the development of standards, quality assurance and metrology in the country. Ends

National

Migabo acquitted