Police officer arrested over graft

KIGALI - A Judicial Police officer at Gikondo Police station, Constable Immaculee Mukakibibi, has been arrested for allegedly taking a bribe of Frw 15,000.Mukakibibi was arrested red-handed receiving the money. She is alleged to have approached a relative of a man in custody and asked for Rwf 40,000 to help release the suspect. Gerard Ntakirutimana had been arrested after police suspected he was a conduit for robbers but was soon to be released, information Mukakibibi was aware of. She promised Ntakirutimana’s brother that she was in position to help release him, if she was paid. After negotiations, Police says, Mukakibibi accepted Rwf 15,000, leading to her arrest. If found guilty, Mukakibibi faces a prison sentence of five to ten years. Superintendent Theos Badege, the Rwanda National Police spokesperson said that no stone would be left unturned in the fight against corruption. “Police officers should be exemplary in fighting corruption and not use the powers bestowed upon them to practise the vice,” Badege said. The spokesperson urged the media to join efforts in the fight against corruption. He further encouraged citizens to always come forward with information on corruption as it is one of the ways to effectively fight the practice. Ends