Rwanda National Police

A man identified as Samuel Kwitonda was arrested for allegedly trying to bribe a police officer on duty, after he was found in possession of cannabis.

He was arrested on Tuesday in Nyagatovu Cell, Kimironko Sector this week and is currently held at Remera Police Station as investigations continued.

The Central Region Police Spokesperson, Superintendent Modeste Mbabazi, noted that, the suspects attempted to bribe an officer with Rwf145,000 while he was being transported to the Police Station on illegal drugs charges.

Superintendent Mbabazi lauded the officer for acting professionally and reminded the general public that corruption cannot be tolerated by the law enforcers.

“Fighting corruption should be everyone’s responsibility, not Police alone. When the economy is affected, the consequences affect us all," he explained.

He added, “It is better to face and accept the consequences of your actions rather than commit another offense as big as bribery, which is an additional punishable offense," he said.

Article 641 of the Penal Code stipulates that any person who directly or indirectly offers a gift in order to get an illegal service or refrain from carrying out any usual duties shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of five to seven years and a fine of twice or up to ten times the value of what they had offered in bribes.