The Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) has arrested the Executive Secretary of Rongi Sector, Gérmain Nteziyaremye, and RIB officer Francine Gatesi on charges of soliciting and accepting a bribe.
According to residents who spoke to UMUSEKE, rumors had been circulating that Nteziyaremye was under investigation. Reports suggested that a local resident had allegedly paid him a bribe of Rwf 150,000 to erase evidence related to an illegal logging case in a state-owned forest.
Residents say that after learning about the unauthorized tree-cutting, Nteziyaremye fined the offender. However, a relative of the accused allegedly arranged for money to be delivered to Nteziyaremye in exchange for dropping the case. The scheme was exposed when someone tipped off RIB investigators, leading to his arrest.
RIB spokesperson Dr. Murangira B. Thierry confirmed the arrests:
“On February 27, 2025, RIB arrested the Executive Secretary of Rongi Sector in Muhanga District, NTEZIYAREMYE GERMAIN, along with RIB investigator GATESI FRANCINE, on charges of soliciting and accepting a bribe of Rwf 150,000. The bribe was intended to secure the release of a suspect detained for illegally damaging a state-owned forest.”
The suspects are being charged under Article 4 of Law No. 54/2018 of August 13, 2018, on combating corruption. If convicted, they face a prison sentence of five to seven years and a fine ranging from three to five times the value of the bribe.
RIB has urged the public to reject corruption in all forms, emphasizing that bribery is a serious crime with no statute of limitations. The bureau warned that anyone involved in such offenses will be held accountable under the law.
