English
Kinyarwanda
Rwanda National Police (RNP), on May 23, paraded 12 people at Kicukiro Police station, who were arrested in connection with attempting to bribe police officers on duty.
The suspects arrested separately on different highways, include one woman.
Police spokesperson, Chief Supt. Celestin Twahirwa said majority of them are drivers of public vehicles and heavy trucks, who had been caught in varied traffic related offences, but tried to bribe officers to buy their way out.
The bribe ranged between Rwf2000 and above, and majority were arrested either in Kigali or enroute to Kigali, he said.
“Rwanda National Police has laid stringent measures against corruption…to apprehend those who try to offers bribes and those that demand or receive it as stipulated under articles 640, 641 and 642 of the Rwanda penal code,” CSP Twahirwa said.
Any person who explicitly or implicitly offers, directly or indirectly proposes or promises a gift or any other illegal benefit, to a person in charge of a service, mission or mandate in order to render a service to him/her or somebody else, shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of two to five years and a fine of two to ten times the value of the illegal benefit granted, under article 640 of the penal code
Demanding or receiving a bribe under article 641 attracts a sentence between five and seven years and s fine of twice to ten times the value of the illegal benefit offered or promised.
“We have so far arrested 158 drivers since November last year, who tried to bribe their way out of traffic offences and penalties, but this campaign is not to be put to halt soon until people understand that bribery is illegal and punishable by the law, and abiding to the road traffic rules and regulations and others laws, is a must,” he said.
He explained that there are also police officers, who have been implicated in such malpractices and that they were also handed varied penalties.
“It takes nothing to respect the law or traffic rules and regulations in particular. Fighting corruption should be made a tradition among all Rwandans.”
