Rwanda Correctional Services (RCS) officer Evariste Delanoe Nyagatare, who is facing charges of intentional assault or battery, has been granted bail by the Kicukiro Primary Court.

On Friday, October 27, the court ruled that there are no reasonable grounds to remand Nyagatare for 30 days before the trial.

ALSO READ: Prisons officer to be arraigned over assault

During the hearing that took place on Thursday, October 26, the prosecution highlighted an incident from October 9. The witness, Brune Ikirezi, posted a video on that date with a caption alleging that the suspect had halted his car and slapped a person who was pushing a wheelbarrow loaded with crates. The complaint made in the caption was that he had been obstructing the suspect's path.

The prosecution further emphasised that the investigation commenced after the discovery of the footage. The investigation resulted in the arrest of Nyagatare the following day. Additionally, the prosecution highlighted that their evidence includes testimonies from both the victim and a witness who observed the incident.

As a result, the prosecution requested the court to remand the suspect during the investigation.

ALSO READ: Correctional officer's case goes to prosecution

In his defence, Nyagatare denied the charges, arguing that he never slapped anyone. He claimed that what he did was to exit his car upon hearing a noise that sounded like something had hit the vehicle. He went outside to inspect the car, suspecting that a wheelbarrow might have scratched it, but he found no evidence to support this later on and got back into his car.

Furthermore, he emphasised that the primary piece of evidence in this trial was a video recorded by Ikirezi. However, the video shows him returning to his car, with no footage of a slap, which he argued never occurred.