English
Kinyarwanda
The Rwanda National Police (RNP), in collaboration with the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), on Thursday, August 13, presented 17 public officials suspected of involvement in the production and distribution of substandard alcoholic beverages seized during ongoing enforcement operations.
The suspects were presented at RIB Headquarters in Kimihurura, Kigali. They include 10 employees of the Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA), three employees of the Rwanda Standards Board (RSB), and local government officials from Gisagara and Karongi districts, including executive secretaries at sector and cell levels.
The development is part of ongoing nationwide operations against illicit and substandard alcoholic beverages aimed at protecting public health and addressing related security and social concerns.
RNP spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Boniface Rutikanga, said the operations have so far yielded tangible results, noting a decline in reported cases of assault and causing bodily harm.
“During the last two weeks of July, we recorded 345 cases of assault and causing bodily harm. From August 1 to 12, the number fell to 188, a decrease of nearly 50 percent,” ACP Rutikanga said.
He, however, said the operations remain necessary because some people continue to conceal or secretly sell the prohibited beverages, while others withhold information about where the products are kept.
ACP Rutikanga warned local leaders and others suspected of facilitating or concealing illicit alcoholic beverages that they could be held accountable as accomplices.
He also called on institutions responsible for certifying and inspecting products to strictly fulfil their responsibilities in accordance with established laws and standards, while urging producers of substandard food and beverages to stop putting harmful products on the market.
RIB spokesperson, Dr Murangira B. Thierry, said 104 people have been arrested since the operations began on July 20 in connection with substandard alcoholic beverages, with case files for 97 of them submitted to the prosecution.
He said the operations are primarily intended to protect public health, particularly that of young people, who are among the consumers of such beverages.
“It is concerning when a person in a position of responsibility conceals or participates in the production and distribution of beverages that endanger people's lives,” Dr Murangira said.
He said the 17 public officials presented on Thursday are suspected of having played various roles in the production or distribution of substandard beverages and are being investigated for allegations of abusing the powers entrusted to them by law for personal gain and acting as accomplices in supplying products that could endanger human health.
