Ombudsman sets fresh deadline for declarations

KIGALI - After announcing that 56 senior officials had been suspended for failing to declare their assets, the Ombudsman has now backtracked and given them a second chance. The Ombudsman’s office has directed those working in Rwanda who had not declared their assets on time or who under-declared their assets to do so in a week while those in foreign countries were given one month. Earlier, the Ombudsman and the Minister of Labour and Public Service had announced that the government was suspending 56 civil servants who either under-declared or failed to declare their wealth. Subsequently, The New Times, got hold of the list that it published which included officials from Parliament, the Judiciary, Rwanda Defence Forces, Police and from the Central government. Speaking to The New Times, the Director of the Wealth Declaration Unit in Ombudsman’s office, Jeanne Mwiseneza, urged those concerned to use this opportunity to clear their names. Sources say the issuance of the new deadline comes at the back of outcries from the implicated officials begging for a second chance on the grounds that many were not in the country. Many RDF and Police officers on the list had been serving in foreign missions. Usually the wealth declaration processes ends on June 30 of each year, but the Ombudsman kept extending the deadline to ensure that all concerned abide by the law. Ends

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Ombudsman sets fresh deadline for declarations