Rwanda National Police

A suspected smuggler was arrested on Friday, November 11, in Huye District with nine bales of second-hand clothes, which were sneaked into Rwanda from Burundi.

Annonciata Niyotwagira, 56, was arrested by the Rwanda National Police (RNP) Revenue Protection Unit (RPU).

Huye District Police Commander, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Boniface Kagenza said that the bales of clothes commonly known as caguwa, were recovered at Niyotwagira's home, where she was also arrested, in Murambi Village, Nyumba Cell of Gishamvu Sector following a tip-off from local residents.

"The RPU was tipped-off by a resident of Murambi Village after unknown quantity of bales of used clothes were sneaked into Rwanda from Burundi and taken to Niyotwagira's home, where RPU officers recovered nine bales and took her into custody for the alleged smuggling and fraud," SSP Kagenza said.

It is suspected that the clothes were to be sold at Busoro market in Huye.

The seized bales were handed over to Rwanda Revenue Authority RRA branch in Huye.

Article 87 of law N? 026/2019 of 18/09/2019 on tax procedures states that a person who, while intending tax evasion, commits one of the following acts: use of forged documents in his or her accounts;  counterfeit and use of documents or materials of the tax administration used for taxation; hiding taxable goods or assets related to business;  making a declaration indicating that the taxpayer has not made sales;  changing the trade name by a person prosecuted in relation to tax;  fraudulent registration of trade under the name of another person;  hiding accounting documents from the tax administration or damaging them; use of forged accounting records; commits an offence of tax evasion.

Upon conviction, he or she is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than two (2) years and not more than five (5) years.