PM tips new prosecutors on integrity, use of tech

Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente has urged newly sworn-in prosecutors to use technology in their work to counter the rising number of crimes related to it. On Monday, November 14, the Premier presided over a swearing-in ceremony of 25 new prosecutors that will be working at various judicial levels, ranging from primary courts to the supreme court. In his speech, he asked them to be led by the principles of integrity, defending human rights, and working for the interests of all Rwandans; in addition to which they should learn to use technology “because many crimes are being committed using technology.” He reminded them how important their work is in the dispensation of justice, as he warned them against any tendencies that may undermine the integrity of the process. “It is an abomination for you to prosecute a person basing on lies; but it is also an abomination to fail to prosecute a person who should be prosecuted,” he told them. Aimable Havugiyaremye, the Prosecutor General told the media in an interview that having more prosecutors is important in availing justice in a fast and efficient way. On average, the National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA) receives up to 84,000 files of cases that have to be prosecuted per year. “Though we have these high numbers of files, we are putting in a lot of effort to handle them, and currently we handle up to 90 per cent of them per year,” he said. Josephine Uwizeyimana, a prosecutor at the intermediate level, told the media that she is ready to apply values of integrity, transparency, and selflessness in her work. “We will base our work on the law so that people will get justice,” she said. Her counterpart Landouard Ndamyingabo, also a prosecutor at the intermediate level, added that besides the values which they hold with high regard, they also have good knowledge of the law from the schools and training they have attended. He also noted that they will be working to close any gaps in terms of reducing any backlog of files. “We will work with a lot of effort, and try to close the gaps that were there, so that citizens get justice as the law provides for it,” he said.

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PM tips new prosecutors on integrity, use of tech