The Intermediate Court of Nyarugenge in Kigali city on Friday acquitted the former CEO of Miss Rwanda beauty pageant contest, Dieudonne Ishimwe a.k.a Prince Kid on all three charges including rape after court ruled that Prosecution failed to provide convincing evidence.
The Judge pointed out that the Prosecutors could not provide enough proof that the accused committed the alleged crimes, paving way for his immediate release but on provisional grounds.
Ishimwe is the head of Rwanda Inspiration Backup, the company behind the annual Miss Rwanda pageant. He has been the boss of Rwanda Inspiration Back Up since 2009.
He was facing three charges including rape, soliciting or offering sexual favours, and harassment. Initiatial accusation details indicate that suspect, cornered at several occasions the contestants in Miss Rwanda pageants, promising then that he had the ability to help them sail through the competition and win the crown.
Following the incident, Rwanda’s ministry of Youth and Culture decided to suspend the beauty pangeant contest pending ongoing investigation into alleged sexual assault by organisers.
Reacting to the incident, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said that even though the issue [of sextortion] was reported in Miss Rwanda, in other institutions including in central government and in the army, sexual abuse is becoming a concern.
Speaking during a recent ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) – Inkotanyi congress, Kagame observed that this issue has even reached schools where teachers give marks for sex.
“It’s really bad and we should denounce it. But girls, women themselves should understand that men don’t own them,” Kagame said.
CU/abj/APA