The Gasabo primary court on Tuesday, May 16, denied bail to four people involved in the case of a highly publicized - for the wrong reasons - project called ‘Urukumbuzi Real Estate’, commonly known as Kwa Dubai, in Gasabo District.

The suspects remanded are the businessman behind the real estate project, Jean Nsabimana, also known as Dubai, the former Mayor of Gasabo district, Stephen Rwamulangwa; the former Vice Mayor, Raymond Chrétien Mberabahizi, and the former Director of One Stop Center, Jeanne d’Arc Nyirabihogo.

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Nsabimana is charged with forgery of documents and fraud, while all the former Gasabo officials are charged with allegedly abusing their offices. Delivering the bail ruling, the presiding judge stated that considering the progress made in the investigation thus far, there are reasonable grounds to suspect that all defendants have committed the alleged crimes.

The judge emphasized that the suspects would be remanded pending the investigation. One of the reasons provided was that the alleged crimes carry a punishment of over two years of imprisonment.

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Initially, the case involved five individuals, including Engineer Theopiste Nkurikiyimfura, who faces charges of forgery for allegedly signing a contract with Dubai that was not authorized.

However, considering the surety of Rwf3 million presented by his lawyer, the court granted him bail under strict conditions. The judge specified that one of the bail conditions is for the defendant to report to the prosecution on the last Friday of each month, for two months.

According to the prosecution, in 2013, Nsabimana signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Gasabo District to build 300 affordable houses in Kinyinya sector. Nsabimana initiated the project in 2013, and by 2017, 120 houses had been constructed as part of the initiative. These houses were made available for purchase, with prices ranging from Rwf15 million to Rwf45 million.

However, in 2015, a report from the Rwanda House Authority (RHA) raised concerns about substandard aspects of the project. The report instructed the construction company to rectify identified issues within one month. The issues included the absence of an engineer overseeing the project, the lack of construction permits for all the houses, and the use of substandard reinforcement bars.

A subsequent inspection conducted by the RHA, in 2017, revealed that the same mistakes persisted.

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The prosecution highlighted that Nsabimana continued to sell the houses, turning a blind eye to their below-average condition. He took money from the victims, falsely assuring them that the homes were in good condition. Additionally, he forged the contract he signed with the engineer to make it appear as if he had employed the engineer since 2015.

According to reports, Nkurikiyimfura allegedly agreed to sign a forged contract falsely indicating that he had been working for Nsabimana since 2015, even though he started in 2017.

The former Gasabo officials are accused of committing crimes through the abuse of their functions. The court heard that they deliberately disregarded the recommendations of the RHA report and allowed the project to continue, solely to fulfill the objectives of the district's performance contracts or 'Imihigo,' a home-grown solution or initiative. In doing so, they failed to consider the potential impact and danger that the project would have on the public.

During the May 11 bail hearing, all the defendants pleaded not guilty

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Nsabimana, in particular, stated that he did not engage in the construction of affordable housing for profit. He claimed that he intended to support the country's development agenda, argued that he had agreements with the property owners, and refuted any allegations of fraud.

Nsabimana also emphasized that the houses were not in bad condition, suggesting that any damage or deterioration may have been caused by natural disasters or modifications made by the owners over the years.