HUYE–A medical doctor, working with the University Teaching Hospital of Butare (CHUB), has been arrested over alleged forgery of academic transcripts.Police said it got ‘water-tight’ evidence attesting to the fact that the doctor’s masters’ degree was forged.Dr Jean Bagula Safari, a Congolese national, was arrested on Monday at his workplace and by press time, he was being held at Ngoma Police station.Police Spokesperson, Supt Theos Badege, confirmed the arrest.According to Police, Bagula was using a degree he allegedly obtained from a Belgium-based Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB).“But, our investigations led us to find out that he [Bagula] never attended the said university”, Badege told The New Times.“The university’s management confirmed to us that the man never studied there nor did the university award him any certificate.”The medical man, aged 33, has been working at the Huye-based referral hospital since March this year, where he worked as an expert in dialysis and transplants.Prior to his employment at CHUB, Bagula had been practicing at La Croix du Sud Hospital, a Kigali-based private health facility, since 2010, Police said.Reports indicate that the Congolese national, who hails from the city of Bukavu in South Kivu Province, had earlier been questioned by security officers following the ‘growing suspicion’ over the authenticity of his academic documents.Also questioned was his bachelors’ degree in general medicine, studies he reportedly undertook in Kinshasa.Badege said the suspect was involved in a serious crime, which might have endangered the lives of innocent individuals. If convicted, the suspect faces between 5-7 years of imprisonment and a fine ranging between Rwf300,000 and Rwf 3 million, according to the article 609 of the Rwandan Penal Code.
