Rubavu Primary Court yesterday handed a DR Congo lawmaker (North Kivu), Dunia Bakarani, a one-year jail sentence for complicity in illegal trading of US$250,000.

The MP, who is a member of MLC party, was arrested in September along with six other people including the former branch manager and employees of Access Bank-Rubavu, for illegally acquiring money from the bank’s coffers with no documentation.

According to the prosecution spokesperson, Augustin Nkusi, Bakarani and his six accomplices were accused of conspiring with the bank’s management, including the branch Manager Joseph Higiro, to acquire loans without security beyond the ceiling set by the bank.

The deal was for them to pay back the money with abnormally huge interests of which the interests would end up in the pockets of the bank officials, said Nkusi.

"They failed to reach an agreement in terms of reimbursing the funds which led to betrayal amongst them and gave a lead to the prosecution,” he added.

The Congolese lawmaker had acquired, on different occasions, US$77,000 and Rwf13m.

Of the seven people who were charged in the same case, only one was acquitted while the rest were handed different sentences ranging from three months to two years.

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