The High Court will, on Monday, January 16, issue its verdict in the appeal case of former Minister of State for Culture, Edouard Bamporiki.

Since September last year, the out-spoken politician has been battling charges related to receiving a bribe worth Rwf 5million from local businessman Norbert Gatera, promising him that he would help reopen his closed alcohol brewing factory in May the same year.

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The intermediate court of Nyarugenge, which heard the case in the first instance, convicted him of fraudulent acquisition of another person's property and abuse of the authority given to him by the law.

He was thus sentenced to four years in jail and ordered to pay a fine worth Rwf 60 million.

However, he appealed against the verdict in the High Court, claiming that among other things, the prosecutors failed to explain how he abused the authority given to him by the law.

He asked the judges to drop this particular charge against him.

In addition to this, his lawyer Jean-Baptiste Habyarimana called for a suspended sentence for the charge of fraudulent acquisition of another person's property, which his client pleaded guilty to.

Habyarimana also asked for the reduction of the Rwf 60 million fine slapped against his client, saying it is not justifiable based on the nature of the crimes and what the law provides. For him, the fine should have been Rwf 30 million instead.

During the process of investigation and prosecution, Bamporiki was never in custody, as the relevant authorities decided to apply house arrest for him. However, if the high Court decides to not give him the suspended sentence he asked for, he will be heading to jail.