Congolese MP held in Rubavu over bank loan

RUBAVU - Police in Rubavu district are holding a Congolese legislator, Faustin Dunia Bakarani, over failure to repay a bank loan he acquired from Access Bank, Rubavu branch. The MP from North Kivu, who is a member of MLC party, was arrested on Thursday along with three employees of Access Bank, including the former branch manager as well as an employee of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). According to Augustin Nkusi, the prosecution spokesperson, Bakarani and eight other people are accused of conspiring with the bank’s management to acquire loans without security, beyond the amount set by the bank. “The suspects are accused of conspiring to defraud the bank,” Nkusi said on phone yesterday. He explained that the MP’s immunity applies only when he is on Congolese territory. “The immunity status would apply in Rwanda only if he were in the country on a state mission,” Nkusi explained. “The branch manager of Access Bank abused trust when he offered Rwf 13 million and US $ 77,000 without clear documents,” a source from the police said on condition of anonymity. However, in a separate interview at the police station, Bakarani blamed the bank for tarnishing his reputation, arguing that he acquired the money through proper channels and his contract with the bank had not expired. “Look, the issue here is not the debt I owe the bank, since I have been a client of this bank for more than nine years,” he said. “The whole thing started after Gasabo Lower Court ruled in my favour in a dispute over a piece of land I own in Gasabo District,” Bakarani said He alleged that he had been summoned by the Mayor of Gasabo to collect his documents when he was arrested. Ends

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Congolese MP held in Rubavu over bank loan