Fourteen detained over bribery

KICUKIRO - Fourteen drivers and car owners, who allegedly attempted to bribe traffic police officers in various parts of the country, are currently held at Kicukiro Police Station in Kigali. One of the suspects, John Minani, admitted attempting to offer a Rwf2, 000 bribe to a traffic police officer. “I had a problem with two of my car tyres and was rushing to replace them. So when I was stopped, I pleaded with the police officer to let me go but he declined. I tried to bribe him off and that is when I got arrested,” Minani, a resident of Kabagari Sector, Ruhango District said. Another suspect, Faustin Ndagijimana, claims that when police stopped the vehicle he was travelling in and asked for the registration card, the driver handed the card to Ndagijimana, who, in turn passed it on to the police officer. Ndagijimana, however, claimed he had no knowledge that inside registration card, there was a Rwf2, 000 note. Both suspects called on other drivers to desist from bribing traffic police officers warning that they would be arrested on the spot. Police spokesperson, Superintendent Theos Badege, attributed the arrests to continued efforts in fighting against corruption within and outside the police force. “It should be a clear statement to those who falsely think they can get away with it.” He urged the public to avoid situations that could tempt them to offer bribes. “We have expelled police officers who got involved with corrupt tendencies, and the National Police will continue to crackdown on such characters,” Badege said. If found guilty, the suspects are likely to be handed sentences ranging from two to five years and be fined ten times the bribe they gave, according to the law. Ends