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A commercial motorcyclist in Ngoma District was arrested on Wednesday for attempting to bribe a police officer.
The suspect, Pierre Nizeyimana, 22, was apprehended as he tried to lure an officer with Rwf10,000, after he was caught riding without a permit.
The Police Spokesperson for Eastern Region, Inspector Emmanuel Kayigi, issued a stern warning to drivers or riders against breaching traffic rules and using money to buy their way out.
“The suspect chose to offer bribes instead of providing the documents as requested by officers, yet he was fully aware of the consequences of such actions,” said Kayigi.
He added that; “As ethically expected, the officer immediately arrested him, corruption is criminal in Rwanda.”
The suspect is currently held at Kibungo Police Station pending further investigations.
RNP has set up strict measures against corruption, among which include; establishment of the Anti-Corruption Commission, Force Disciplinary Unit, online registration of driver’s license applicants, among others.
The Ethics Centre located at the Police headquarters, was established in 2012 to maintain professional standards, values and norms of officers and employees of other public and private companies, among others.
Recently during the Police High Council, the force honored individual officers for exhibiting a high level of ethical conduct by arresting bribery suspects, and also commended the general conduct of the force in fighting against corruption.
Article 641 of the Penal Code stipulates that any person who offers a gift in order to get an illegal service or refrain from carrying out their duties shall be liable to a term of imprisonment between five and seven years or a fine twice to ten times the value of what they had offered in bribes or both.
