Rwanda: PM Habumuremyi gets arrested over bounced checks and breach of trust

Former Rwandan Prime Minister, Pierre Damien Habumuremyi has been arrested over bounced checks and breach of trust, according to a news report by The New Times.

The arrest of Habumuremyi has been confirmed by Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB). 

"We can confirm that former Prime Minister, Pierre Damien Habumuremyi is under police custody for issuing bounced checks worth 100 million Rwandan francs (about 105,000 U.S. dollars) and breach of trust," an acting spokesperson of RIB, Dominique Bahorera told Rwanda Television in a news program.

Habumuremyi, who served as prime minister from October 2011 to July 2014, was arrested on Friday when he came to RIB offices in the Rwandan capital Kigali to respond to allegations connected with issuing bounced checks, he said.

The former head of cabinet committed the crime between 2018 and 2019 as the rector and owner of Christian University of Rwanda and is behind the mismanagement of the university that owes over 1 billion Rwandan francs (about 1.05 million dollars) of unpaid wages to university staff and rent arrears, he added.

Bahorera added that investigations are ongoing with more people complaining about the bounced cheques from Habumuremyi.

 RIB said that his case will be transferred to the prosecution 'earlier this week’.

In February 2015, Habumuremyi was appointed the Chairperson of the Chancellery for Heroes, National Orders and Decorations of Honour (CHENO) until 2019.