The judiciary has established a committee that will be responsible for fighting corruption in the judicial system.

Launched on Thursday, April 28, the committee will cover all levels of courts, monitoring their operations and reporting any tendencies of corruption, in addition to putting in place and implementing specific measures for closing loopholes that make the courts prone to corruption.

It will also be responsible for asking the Inspectorate of Courts to investigate the workers who are suspected of taking part in corruption, but it will also render advice to court employees in terms of ethical practices, among other things.

The committee will be led by a board of five people, four of whom are appointed by the Chief Justice, while one will be an official of the Inspectorate of Courts.

The committee will be led by a board of five people, four of whom are appointed by the Chief Justice, while one will be an official of the Inspectorate of Courts.

Under the board are different anti-corruption, from the Supreme Court level, all the way to the lower courts.

These will be made up of officials including judges from different courts, as well as other employees of the judiciary work for departments like the Inspectorate of Courts and the General Secretariat, appointed by the Chief Justice, the President of the Court of Appeal, the Secretary General of Courts and the Chief Inspector of Courts.

According to statistics, from 2005 until this year, 64 workers of the judiciary were permanently dismissed from work for malpractices including corruption related tendencies, while others were handed punishments like temporary suspension, salary cuts, or being sternly warned, among others.

Speaking at the launch of the committee, Faustin Ntezilyayo, the Chief Justice stressed the need to fight corruption, saying it hinders peace, security, sustainable development, democracy and human rights, and takes away the trust that citizens have in government institutions.

"Let’s not spare any effort and not compromise on the fight against corruption in the Judiciary and in other sectors. As we all know, fighting corruption is a multifaceted and complicated process requiring synergy among all sectors,” he said.

"It is especially important that all sectors of society recognize and assume their responsibilities toward preventing and fighting corruption, since as demonstrated by different studies, including those carried out by Transparency International Rwanda, corruption affects all sectors of our society,” he added.

Speaking at the same event, Aimable Havugiyaremye, the Prosecutor General said the committee is "a good idea” for fighting corruption in the judicial sector, as he promised to support the cause.

"I promise that as prosecution we are ready to work with you, because the fight against corruption requires efforts from all of us,” he said.

Nirere Madeleine, the Ombudsman speaks at the launch of the committee that will monitor  and report any tendencies of corruption in the courts

Nirere Madeleine, the Ombudsman referred to the committee as "a tool for continuing to look into the operations of the judiciary, making checks into the sector, with an aim of improving how it works.

Moise Nkundabarashyi, the President of the Rwanda Bar Association also appreciated the initiative, and called for cooperation from all stakeholders in the judicial sector in order to overcome corruption.

"We are all required to cooperate. I believe that those committing corruption are not more powerful than all the institutions gathered here,” he said.

Apollinaire Mupiganyi, the Executive Director of Transparency International said he was so touched by the initiative, saying it shows how committed the judicial sector is to fight corruption.

The official launch of the committee that will be responsible for fighting corruption in the judicial system in Kigali on April 28. Craish Bahizi