The Primary Court of Busasamana in Nyanza District has ordered the provisional detention of three officials from a security cooperative operating in Nyanza market and nearby institutions, over allegations of embezzlement and forgery.
The suspects—Pascal Munyanziza, former president of the “Umoja ni Nguvu” cooperative; Vincent Hategekimana, in charge of staff; and Charles Kayumba, responsible for workforce supervision, are facing charges related to misappropriation of cooperative funds and the use of forged documents.
Prosecution told court that the trio, in their leadership roles, allegedly orchestrated the embezzlement of cooperative funds amounting to approximately Rwf 17 million. The case is linked to Eugene Nsabimana, a former revenue collector for the cooperative, who admitted to misappropriating over Rwf 3 million but is now on the run.
According to the prosecution, Nsabimana implicated the three accused, as well as a cooperative manager identified as Clement Ntampaka, alleging they jointly opened an unauthorized bank account in Ruhango District where funds were deposited and later withdrawn for personal use.
Court heard that Nsabimana initially faced arrest but was later provisionally released before fleeing. Investigators from the Rwanda Investigation Bureau subsequently detained the current suspects as inquiries deepened.
Prosecutors further alleged that Munyanziza authorized financial withdrawals, while Kayumba and Hategekimana facilitated the recruitment of “ghost workers” who received salaries without rendering services.
In their defence, all three denied the charges, attributing the alleged fraud solely to Nsabimana. They argued that he misled them, including presenting cheques lacking account details for signature before later completing and cashing them independently.
After examining the evidence and submissions from both sides, the court ruled that there are substantial grounds to suspect the accused may have committed the offences. It ordered their 30-day pre-trial detention to allow further investigation.
The ruling is subject to appeal within five days.
The suspects, who had been held at the RIB Busasamana station, were immediately transferred to Huye Prison following the court’s decision.
