NYARUGENGE - The Honorary Consul of Luxemburg to Rwanda, Christophe Shamukiga yesterday appeared before Nyarugenge Lower Instance Court to answer charges of misappropriation of funds.

The hearing of the case involving the diplomat, who was arrested in March, was however postponed yesterday over misunderstandings that arose between the plaintiff’s and defendants’ teams.

He was dragged to court by ZARAO, a commercial company based in Luxemburg on allegations of misappropriating funds that were wired to his account on behalf of the company.

The company is accusing the Consul to have fraudulently used some of that money amounting to Euro 35,500.

The twist introduced by defence lawyers was based on the fact that the company is not registered in the National Gazette, a prerequisite for all commercial entities as per the law published in 2009.

"There is no way the people of Rwanda can be aware of the existence of ZARAO company since its statutes were never published in the National Gazette,” one of Shamukiga lawyers said, calling upon the court to order the company’s representatives out of courtroom.

Defending the company interests, defence lawyer Emmanuel Ntambara explained that the Ministry of Commerce accorded the company the right to operate in the country on July 18 2008, which according to him did not submit them to the new legislation.

But Shamukiga’s defendants reiterated that if the company wanted to be subject of the new law promulgated in 2009, then their accusations should also be declared null and void because the lawsuit was filed under the old law.

The presiding judge ruled that the trial be adjourned so that he pronounces himself on this submission. He said he would reopen the file on Tuesday, June 2.

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