Police has arrested another suspect who has been on the run and is believed to be the ringleader in forging the stamp and the signature of the Minister of Health, Dr. Richard Sezibera to defraud money from several hospitals and pharmacies across the country.

Joseph Cyiza was arrested in Nyamirambo, Nyarugenge District last week.

"After we communicated his disappearance, members of the public, who knew him and his whereabouts, tipped us and we arrested him in Nyamirambo on Thursday,” Police Spokesperson, Supt. Eric Kayiranga said.

He’s the fourth person arrested in connection with the crime following last week’s separate arrests of three other suspects, Shem Nicayembizi, Bosco Ntakiyimana and Jean Marie Vianney Dusenge in Kigali.

It is alleged that the four counterfeited the minister’s signature and stamp and wrote an official letter to heads of all hospitals and some pharmacies in the country inviting them to a symposium which they claimed was organized by the Ministry of Health in partnership with the International Project against HIV (IPAH).

They further alleged that the conference which was supposed to take place September 4, according to the letter seen by The New Times, aimed at looking for better ways of fighting AIDS in the country. Each hospital was required to contribute Rwf 1.2m for this initiative.

On the agenda of the conference, according to the letter, were Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT), Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) and Antiretroviral drugs (ARV).

Nicayembizi, a shoe dealer in Kimisagara was arrested as he tried to withdraw some of the money which had been deposited by Dr. Jean Nyirinkwaya of La Croix du Sud Hospital and Polyclinique Harmonie amounting to Rwf 2m.
Cyiza, however, was a wanted man according to police reports over other seven charges which also include counterfeit and theft.

He is said to have organized examinations for driving permits calling himself a Chief Inspector of Police (CIP), saying that they are special exams organized by Non-Governmental Organisations.

He is further said to have forged driving permits which he sold to several drivers alleging that he works in the driver’s license department in police. Other charges which had been lodged to police by the time of his arrest include forging academic transcripts which he sold to students going for further studies in the Democratic Republic of Congo, stealing a vehicle and trying to con a doctor in Kibungo hospital of Rwf 2m pretending to be a Criminal Investigation Department officer who had a dossier implicating him in criminal offences.

Last year, Cyiza is said to have conned a catholic priest in Kiziguro, Gatsibo District in the Eastern Province about Rwf 3m calling himself the personal assistant to Director of Judicial in police. He allegedly told the priest that he had a Gacaca dossier in CID in which he had to pay the Rwf 3m for his case to be closed.

At the time of his arrest, Cyiza was found with police equipments such as uniforms and handcuffs.
The four will appear in court today to answer charges which include counterfeit, attempt robbery, theft and impersonation.

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