Rwanda National Police

Rwanda National Police (RNP), on Wednesday paraded 15 people at Kicukiro Police station, who were arrested recently in connection with either making or circulating counterfeit currencies.

The suspects arrested separately in different parts of the country, include a syndicate of six men that includes a headmaster, who was found in possession of fake bills worth Euro 24, 800.

All the suspects were arrested in Police operations conducted in the last one month.

Fake notes of Rwf310, 000, Euros 24, 800 and $8, 700, were also seized from the suspects.

Some of the suspects, who talked to the media and confessed to the crimes, narrated how they got involved in the illegal deals of counterfeit currencies.

“A while back, a friend of mine, who was also my housemate, told me that he had Euros amounting to 25,000 and asked me to give him Rwf5 million. I went to SACCO and got a loan of Rwf4 million which I gave him in an exchange of foreign currency, although I later realized that he had given me 24, 800 Euros,” said Xavier Muganwa.

Muganwa is the headmaster of ES Rukira in Huye District.

“I tried to exchange it on several occasion, in vain. Later, I interested another friend of mine to take the counterfeits, exchange them and return the real money in local currency, so I gave him 10,000 fake bills of Euros.”

“Days later, he called me saying that he had changed the money and asked me to bring more. I carried with me the remaining money and when I got there, that’s when the police arrested me,” added Muganwa, who was arrested last Sunday in Huye along with five other accomplices.

He also added that; “I wrecked my family from the beginning. My wife didn’t want me to take the loan in the first place, and when I took it she never got to know what I used it for. Unfortunately, I have to service a bank loan up to the end of 2017.”

This is not the first time Muganwa is embroiled in counterfeit dealing; in 2013, he attested, was involved in a similar case.

The suspects also include two men; Egide Ndagijimana and Solomon Nzigiye, arrested in Kirehe district recently in possession of US$ 8,700.

“I used to be a barber but later I decided to quite. One day, a former client called me, we meet in Kayonza bus terminal and interested me to trade the fake bills which I took on condition that I would circulate the money and we share profits equally,” said Nzigiye.

He added that he also recruited Ndagijimana, who he gave fake US$400 to trade them. Ndagijimana was later apprehended together with his recruiter in Mahama Sector, before circulating the fake bills.

Other paraded suspects include Mirian Uwitije, Modeste Havugimana and Emmanuel Muvunyi, who were found with counterfeits worth Rwf54, 000, Rwf12, 000 and Rwf4, 000 respectively.

“I traveled to Kigali some time back and met a friend called Chance. He asked me to get people who can circulate fake money, that’s when I got Muvunyi and Havugimana, we raised Rwf 50,000 which I gave to Chance in exchange of fake bills worth Rwf 150,000,” said Uwitije.

“We went to a bar to drink, later on, Havugimana went out to buy airtime and used the fake money which raised suspicion, leading to our arrest,” Uwitije narrated.

Police Spokesperson CSP Celestin Twahirwa, said that although counterfeit money hasn’t become a big concern in Rwanda, the public needs to be on alert and report such cases.

“We highly appreciate the cooperation from the people. Most of these people were apprehended because people were quick to report and cooperated with the Police,” CSP Twahirwa said.

He also outlined effects of dealing in counterfeit saying that fake bills can wreck the economy and affect people’s businesses.

“We have systems and means to deal with such crimes. We already have a unit charged with that and working with financial institutions and telecoms to ensure safety of people’s money,” CSP Twahirwa said.

Experts say currency counterfeiting is a source of financial loss to citizens and reduces the value of real money; increase in prices (inflation) due to more money getting circulated in the economy – an unauthorized artificial increase in the money supply.

Currency counterfeiting is a crime punishable by article 601 of the penal code which stipulates that, “Any person who fraudulently counterfeits, falsifies or alters coins, which are legal tender in Rwanda or abroad, bills issued by the State and bearing its stamp or emblem, banknotes, authorized notes or any other related effects used in Rwanda or abroad, or any person who introduces or issues on the Rwandan territory bills or notes which are legal tender with  knowledge that they are counterfeit or altered, shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of more than 5 years to 7 years.”