Thirteen arrested over fake motor vehicle certificates

Thirteen suspects said to be part of a criminal racket are in police custody over alleged counterfeiting and selling of counterfeit motor vehicle mechanical inspection certificates and stickers.The arrest followed a three-week operation by the force following reports that some people were being conned by the group that poses as agents of the force, and subsequently sell the counterfeited documents.Supt Rafiki Mujiji, the Officer Commanding the Remera-based Motor-vehicle Inspection Centre (MIC), who confirmed the arrest, said the suspects include drivers, car owners and some people believed to be connected to the group.About 13 vehicles were also impounded during the operation after they were found wearing counterfeited stickers and certificates. Among these, eight were impounded in Kigali with the rest in Rubavu District.“We haven’t ascertained where these certificates are counterfeited but the operation is continuing,” Mujiji said.Other unconfirmed reports suggest collusion with some officers at the motor vehicle inspection centre in Remera, who help the offenders to acquire such documents through unscrupulous means. Vehicle mechanical failures are considered as some of the major causes of road accidents in the country.All vehicles are subjected to a periodic technical inspection and unroadworthy ones are required to undergo repairs before being allowed to get back to the roads. Four wheeled vehicles are inspected at a cost of Rwf 11,800; commuter vehicles are screened for Rwf 17,700 while six wheeled vehicles with a capacity to carry between 19 and 29 passengers are charged Rwf 23, 600.Owners of vehicles with 10 wheels and a capacity of more than 30 people pay Rwf 29, 500 each to access the centre’s services.The facility was established in 2008 to examine the mechanical condition of vehicles.It caters for both private and commercial vehicles and issues a certificate valid for one year and six months, respectively, after successful inspection.Since last July, the centre has inspected 60,084 vehicles.The traffic commanding officer, CSP Celestin Twahirwa, said that most of the accidents recorded over the last two months were as a result of mechanical faults, especially brake failures.“Mechanical problems resulting from refusal by car owners to take their vehicles for inspection, need to be addressed seriously; we have started to implement different measures including the law,” said Twahirwa.He cited recent accidents including one in Ruhango that claimed the lives of seven people, one in Kigali which killed four and another in Musanze which seriously injured four students, blaming them on mechanical faults.A presidential decree No. 85/01 of September 2, 2002, regulating general traffic police and road traffic stipulates, in part, that “vehicles not satisfying the set technical criteria will not be issued with a certificate. Owners of vehicles using public roads without the certificate are liable to a fine of Rwf 25, 000.”

National

Thirteen arrested over fake motor vehicle certificates