The Rwanda National Police’s ongoing operation to end road carnage while enforcing zeo tolerance for corruption has seen 17 motorists arrested in connection with attempts to bribe Police officers.
The Rwanda National Police’s ongoing operation to end road carnage while enforcing zeo tolerance for corruption has seen 17 motorists arrested in connection with attempts to bribe Police officers.
The suspects, the majority of them drivers, were arrested at different points during the week as they allegedly offered bribes to officers to escape penalties after they were caught violating traffic rules.
Six suspects were arrested in Kigali, three in Nyamagabe, while the others in Rubavu, Bugesera, Gatsibo, Huye and Rwamagana districts.
One of the suspects, arrested on Tuesday in Bugesera District, offered a bribe of 10,000 Burundian Franc (about Rwf5,000) to a Traffic Police officer after he had been caught trying to smuggle electrical equipment into the country.
The majority bribes ranged between Rwf2,000 and Rwf5,000, Police said.
"Police will not arresting those who try to make shortcuts regarding traffic rules. It is an ill-advised attempt to offer bribes to Police officers, because it will land the individual in more trouble than they were in,” Chief Supt. Celestin Twahirwa, Police Spokesperson, warned.
"The law is clear: bribery is a crime and punishable as stipulated under Articles 633 and 641 of the Penal Code, and Police officers know it well that for corruption, it is zero-stance in the force,” he added, calling on everyone to fight the vice.
Under Article 641 of the Penal Code, any person who explicitly or implicitly offers, proposes directly or indirectly a gift or any other illegal benefit, to a person in charge of a service, mission or mandate or who promises it in order to render a service or to refrain from carrying out any usual duties, will be liable, upon conviction, to a term of imprisonment of five to seven years and a fine of twice to 10 times the value of the illegal benefit they offered or promised.
Police have arrested about 150 people since last October, the majority of them drivers, over attempt to compromise officers to acquire services illegally or to buy their way out of varied offences.