KIGALI - The Minister of Justice, Tharcisse Karugarama, has announced that the government will impose the Community Service Work sentence, locally known as TIG on all crimes. Currently, the persons eligible for TIG are Genocide convicts who have partially served their sentence in prison, and have confessed to their role as well as sought for forgiveness. 

Karugarama revealed the new development, yesterday, during a press conference, organized by the Ministry of Information to explain on the judiciary’s programmes over the next seven years.

"We hope it will be approved soon. But its implementation will kick off the day it will be approved,” he said. 

Karugarama, who doubles as the Attorney General, said that provisions in the Penal Code that will see TIG enforced to all crimes are currently before the senate, pending approval.

In the news conference, he revealed that Judicial Bureaus have been established in all districts across the country to facilitate citizens seeking justice right from the lowest local level, Village.

This, he said, will help people to acquire knowledge on where their cases can be lodged, adding that the bureaus will advise mediators’ committees, Abunzi, on how they can effectively implement their duties.

"This was done to facilitate Rwandans at all levels access universal justice. We want to make sure that no one is left out that because they are poor, and everyone to have enough knowledge on how and where they can seek the justice they deserve at no cost.”

There are currently over 30,000 mediators countrywide, and Karugarama said that government will facilitate them so that cases petitioned to them are reduced by 60 percent each year.

Karugarama further noted that the search is on to bring all corrupt officials to book.

Jules Marius Ntete, the Inspector General of the Prosecution, said that a total of 194 government officials were last year charged with corruption related cases; 36 of them from the central government, while 12 and 54 are Provincial and district officials respectively.

Ntete also said that 102 indictments for Genocide suspects have so far been sent to 25 countries where the suspects are believed to be residing, including nine in the Democratic Republic of Congo and 11 in Mozambique.  

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