Some 16 district and sector officials were on Thursday, August 6, suspended pending investigations into the alleged embezzlement of assets meant to be used in the construction works under Vision 2020 Umurenge Programme (VUP) in Rutsiro District, Western Province.

This was confirmed by Emérence Ayinkamiye, the Mayor of Rutsiro. 

"It is true that we have suspended 16 employees of both the district and some of its sectors as investigations are ongoing,” she told The New Times.

According to Ayinkamiye, of these, two are district employees whereas 14 suspects work for different sectors of the district.

Five of them Executive Secretaries of Nyabirasi, Ruhango, Murunda, Mushubati and Rusebeya sectors.

"They are suspected of embezzling assets designated for constructing feeder roads under VUP,”

The assets include sand, stones and wood. The monetary value of the assets is not yet known.

Initiated in 2008, VUP is a social protection initiative designed to improve the welfare of the most vulnerable people through three various elements, namely; public works, credit packages and direct support.

The Ministry of Justice recently said that no one will be spared in the quest for accountability, adding that that the government is putting more priority on fighting financial crimes because of the impact they have on the economy and the wellbeing of the Rwandan people.