The Supreme Court has set December 22 to pronounce itself on an appeal human trafficking case involving a former policewoman. The Chief Justice Sam Rugege, announced this on Monday after hearing the case at the Supreme Court. Germaine Bukuru, a former policewoman who was convicted of human trafficking appeared before the court to hear her appeal case against a five year sentence handed her by the High Court-Chamber of Nyanza last year. Bukuru was arrested in August last year in Huye District where she worked as nurse under the Rwanda National Police holding the rank of Inspector of Police. But her lawyer Laban Kadage is contesting the competence of the Nyanza based court in trying his client given that she was arrested in Huye. But prosecution told the court this argument was ruled upon in the High Court – Chamber of Nyanza district, and so there was no reason to bring it back. The defendant is accused of trafficking one Joyce Rehema to Oman. Rehema claims that she was trafficked to Oman and forced into hard labor and imprisoned. She added that she managed to contact relatives in Rwanda who helped her repatriate. But the defendant denies the charges as fabricated. Prosecution alleges that there are other women that were trafficked to Oman by the accused, but court rejected this on grounds that there was no evidence.
