Seven Police officers arrested over soliciting bribes, fraud

Rwanda National Police (RNP) has arrested twelve men belonging to the same ring, who were fraudulently soliciting money from people, who registered for driving tests, promising to get them driver’s license.

They include seven Police officers, who were conniving with five driving school instructors to defraud candidates, who registered to do driving tests.

The group was paraded to the media on Wednesday, November 3, at Kigali Metropolitan headquarters in Remera, Gasabo District.

Sergeant Twagirashema Augustin, who has been serving in RNP for the last 13 years is among those arrested.

He, together with other Police officers at different ranks, alongside the driving school instructors, were forming a syndicate targeting people, who registered for driving tests, making them believe that tests are hard to pass and that they can facilitate them if they paid a certain amount of money.

Some of the Police officers like Sgt Twagirashema, were arrested on sites where they had been deployed to supervise driving tests.

Jean De dieu Nshimiyimana is among the five arrested driving school instructors. He said: “I was arrested on Monday, November 1, for allegedly collaborating with a Police officers to solicit bribes from candidates doing driving tests to help them acquired a driver’s license.”

Information on the ring, Police said, was shared by one of the people, whom they had approached.

“I had successfully registed to do driving tests, but they told me that it was not easy to get a permit without paying some money. They first demanded Frw300,000 but we later agreed Frw100,000, which I paid them,” said one of the candidates (names withheld).

“Later, I realized that what I had done was wrong and contrary to the law. I decided to report to the Police.”

RNP spokesperson, Commissioner of Police (CP) John Bosco Kabera said that the Police acted on the information provided by concerned residents to identify and arrest the suspects.

“These seven Police officers were taking money from candidates and were using the five school instructors as their brokers,” said CP Kabera. “Investigations revealed that these Police officers were also adding names of people, who either failed or did not do the driving tests, on the list of those who passed. Some of those marked as passed did not even go to the driving test sites.”

CP Kabera urged the public to be vigilant and avoid criminal shortcuts to pay extra amount of money.

He further warned against both soliciting and offering bribes are punishable by law. All the suspects were handed over to RIB for further legal process. (End)