A Rwandan prosecutor asked a court on Monday to sentence the former Rwandan minister of Education and then head of Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) Daphrose Gahakwa to 7 years in jail for alleged corruption.
The case revolves the abuse of authority by the former senior Rwandan official at the helm of Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) she is accused of embezzlement and favoritism scandal.
Gahakwa faces charges of misuse of public resources and abuse of office by fraudulently awarding a tender during her time as head of Rwanda Agriculture Board.
The court decided to remand her after the prosecution last week pinned her on fraudulently awarding a tender whereby in 2016, she approved an Rwf800 million ($1 USD = 990 Rwandan Francs) irrigation tender to her son-in-law.
According to the prosecution, former minister’s husband, Pierre Rudakemwa Gahakwa, was among the lead consultants who were also hired to supervise the implementation of the irrigation project.
The prosecution said that Ms. Gahakwa signed this tender at a time when the institution was struggling financially.
At the time, the former minister explained that the procurement department put the tender up for bidding before she assumed office and that she signed it without knowledge that it was her son-in-law who won the tender.
She also said that her office even consulted the Ministry of Justice before the tender was approved.
CU/abj/APA