A presidential order has pardoned 32 convicts, including Edouard Bamporiki, former Minister of State for Culture, and Retired Commissioner General Emmanuel Gasana, a former Governor of the Eastern Province. This decision was announced following a Cabinet meeting held on October 18, where resolutions included a Presidential Order to pardon 32 individuals and a Ministerial Order approving the parole release of 2,017 convicts. Among those pardoned are prominent figures such as Edouard Bamporiki, the former Minister of State for Culture. In September 2022, the Nyarugenge Intermediate Court sentenc

A presidential order has pardoned 32 convicts, including Edouard Bamporiki, former Minister of State for Culture, and Retired Commissioner General Emmanuel Gasana, a former Governor of the Eastern Province.

This decision was announced following a Cabinet meeting held on October 18, where resolutions included a Presidential Order to pardon 32 individuals and a Ministerial Order approving the parole release of 2,017 convicts.

Among those pardoned are prominent figures such as Edouard Bamporiki, the former Minister of State for Culture.

In September 2022, the Nyarugenge Intermediate Court sentenced him to four years for these crimes. This decision was appealed by both the prosecution and the defense.

Bamporiki, whose sentence was increased on January 23, 2023, by the Kigali High Court, had been serving a five-year prison term and faced a fine of 30 million Rwandan Francs after being convicted of accepting a bribe and abusing his office.

Also among those pardoned is CG (Rtd) Gasana Emmanuel, a former Governor of the Eastern Province.

CG (Rtd) Gasana was arrested in October 2023. He had been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for soliciting and accepting illegal benefits.

Other politicians  pardoned include Christian Rwankunda, the former Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Infrastructure who was convicted in June 2022 and sentenced to six years for misusing public property.

Eric Serubibi, the former Director-General of the Rwanda Housing Authority, and Aloys Rusizana, who were convicted as accomplices in the same case, were also sentenced to six years but have now been pardoned.

The clemency comes with conditions that must be strictly adhered to. Those granted a pardon are required to report to their local Prosecutor’s Office and notify the relevant local authorities, including their village, cell, sector, and district, within 15 days of the decree’s publication.

Additionally, they must visit the Prosecutor’s Office once a month and request permission from the Minister of Justice to travel abroad.

These conditions remain in effect until the individual has completed the remainder of their sentence.

Failure to comply with these requirements or receiving a new conviction could result in the revocation of the clemency.

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