Former BCDI boss sentenced to six years

KIGALI - The Former Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Bank of Commerce, Development and Industry (BCDI), Alfred Kalisa Friday lost his appeal case on corruption and abuse of office. Kalisa who has been battling the case since early last year was sentenced to six years imprisonment by the High Court. Having been initially sentenced to two years in prison by the Nyarugenge Higher Instance Court, Kalisa appealed to the high court. A professional banker, Kalisa was arrested in December 2006. He appeared in court early last year accused of six counts of corruption, misuse of BCDI funds, breach of trust, favouritism, falsification of documents and breaching the law governing banks. According to the Prosecution, Kalisa is accused among other crimes of having awarded himself an overdraft of about Rwf169 million which he had not serviced by 2005 when he was relieved of his duties by the National Bank of Rwanda. It has been reported that having owned significant shares (31%) in the bank, Kalisa illegally authorised loans to himself, his wife, sister and brother totalling to over Rwf 800 million. He also allegedly twisted tendering procedures which saw him award profitable tenders and loans to his personal companies; and that he inflated the cost of BCDI’s Headquarter building located in the heart the City. During his earlier trial, the prosecutor Alain Mukurarinda who filed the case reportedly revealed three other BCDI shareholders who were implicated in getting loans illegally. Those mentioned included Jean Pierre Gatera, Manasseh Simba, Callixte Kajangwe and another only identified as Habiyakare. They are said to have been awarded loans using Kalisa’s influence after being rejected by the bank’s loan committee. “They all came in the same manner. They would stake their shares in the bank as a guarantee (which is not allowed) and they would tell the managers that they had the consent of the CEO,” Mukurarinda was quoted last year. Kalisa, one of the founders of BCDI in 1995, emerged as a key figure in the country’s financial sector but his star declined after the bank was reported to be in a serious financial fix. He previously served in various senior capacities including Chairman of Rwanda Private Sector Federation (RPSF) and Chairman of the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) Board of Directors. Kalisa also formerly held senior positions in various banks in the US, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Mozambique. Ends