Three ministries under probe over illegal tenders

KIGALI - The Prosecutor General and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) are probing three ministries in connection with alleged tender irregularities. The ministries of Commerce, Agriculture and Infrastructure are alleged to have awarded numerous tenders without following normal procedures. According to sources within PG’s office, some officials from the aforementioned ministries failed to account for public finances as indicated in the Auditor General’s report of 2006/7. On failure to show accountability, the cases were forwarded to the Prosecutor General for further scrutiny. When Sunday Times talked to Ntete Jules, Inspector General at the National Public Prosccution Authoity, he said investigations on these ministries had already begun and hopes were high that what went wrong will be discovered.“We have got useful information,” says Ntete. The departments at the heart of the investigations into Infrastructure ministry include the Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA), Onatracom, Fond d’Entratien Routier (FER) and Fond’ d’Acces Universel (FAU). In the agriculture ministry, the Rural Sector Support Project (RSSP), Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Rwanda (ISAR) and Rwanda Animal Resources Development Authority (Rarda) are also being targeted. In the commerce ministry, it is Office Rwandaise de Normalization (RBS) and Office des Cultures Industrieles du Rwanda (OCIR) café are being investigated. In an earlier meeting with the Prosecutor General, Martin Ngoga, he revealed that most of the money involved in the cases documented in the 2006/7 Auditor General’s report, was lost through illegal tendering procedures. When contacted on Friday, the Secretary General of Ministry Commerce, Antoine Ruvebana said he had confidence in the Auditor General’s findings, and added that whoever will be implicated will face the law. Ends