Rwanda National Police (RNP) has arrested six people in connection with fraudulent issuance of driver’s license.
Those arrested include four Police officers and two civilians, who were acting as brokers.
The four Police officers, who include those attached to the department of Testing and Licensing, and their accomplices, were on Friday, January 6, paraded to the media at Kigali metropolitan headquarters in Remera.
The two brokers so far arrested, are instructors in driving schools in Kigali.
Commissioner of Police (CP) John Bosco Kabera, the RNP spokesperson, said that investigations have so far identified eight people that the group helped to acquire a driver’s license after paying them varying amounts of money and without doing the compulsory driving tests.
“Thorough investigations that started in June last year, found out that some driving school instructors were working with some Police officers to facilitate their students to acquire either provisional or definitive driver’s license.
Those seeking a driver’s license would pay a certain amount of money to the Police officers through their instructors,” CP Kabera said.
He warned the public against”criminal shortcuts” adding that investigations are still underway to arrest any member of the same group as well as those, who offered bribes to acquire a driver’s license.
CP Kabera further cautioned driving schools against such malpractices.
“Driving schools are supposed to facilitate their students to learn and understand traffic rules and regulations, and to be professional drivers.
Equally, Police officers are supposed to ensure that those seeking a driver’s license have passed the tests without any favour or exceptions. Contrary to that, you will be arrested to face the law, including those giving bribes for an illegal service,” CP Kabera warned.
Article 4 of the law N° 54/2018 of 13/08/2018 on fighting against corruption states that any person who offers, solicits, accepts or receives, by any means, an illegal benefit for himself/ herself or another person or accepts a promise in order to render or omit a service under his or her mandate or uses his or her position to render or omit a service, commits an offence.
Upon conviction, he/she is liable to imprisonment for a term of more than five years but not more than even years with a fine of three to five times the value of the illegal benefit offered, solicited or received.
Under article 276 of the law determining offences and penalties in general, any person, who, with fraudulent intention, produces a false written document, causes to write false statements, or produces a conflicting declaration, is considered to have committed the offence of forgery.
Upon conviction, he or she is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than five years but not more than seven years and a fine of between Frw3 million and Frw5 million, or one of these penalties. (End)