Gasabo Intermediate Court has granted bail to three former Gasabo officials who were involved in the case of the Urukumbuzi estate, commonly known as Kwa Dubai located in Kinyinya Sector while Jean Nsabimana a local businessman responsible for the real estate project denied bail on appeal. ALSO READ: Court postpones appeal ruling in Kwa Dubai suspects case On Thursday, June 29, the court delivered its ruling on the appeal filed by Stephen Rwamulangwa, the former Mayor of Gasabo district, former Vice Mayor Raymond Chrétien Mberabahizi, and Jeanne d'Arc Nyirabihogo, the former director of the One Stop Center. The court granted them bail and upheld the lower court's decision to remand Jean Nsabimana. Meanwhile, Nsabimana is facing charges of forgery and fraud, while the district officials have been charged with abuse of office. ALSO READ: Kwa Dubai case: suspects appeal against remand All four individuals have appealed against their remand, contesting the lower court's decision which determined that there are grounds to suspect their involvement in the substandard construction. During the hearing that took place on June 16, they pointed out that one of the main reasons for their appeal was the contention that the 2018 anti-corruption law, which the prosecutors used against them, was enacted after the alleged offenses were committed. The lawyers representing the defendants made an argument stating that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for which their clients were being prosecuted had been signed in 2013. They contended that the anti-corruption law, under which the charges were filed, was not in effect at that time. Therefore, they asserted that it was impossible for their clients to have committed a crime that did not even exist when the MoU was signed. ALSO READ: 'Kwa Dubai' estate owner, former Gasabo officials denied bail According to prosecutors, in 2013, Nsabimana signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Gasabo District to construct 300 affordable houses in the Kinyinya sector. By 2017, 120 houses had been built and put up for sale, with prices ranging from Rwf15 million to Rwf45 million. However, in 2015, a report from the Rwanda House Authority (RHA) raised concerns about the substandard quality of the houses. The report instructed the construction company to rectify the identified issues within a month, but no corrective action was taken. ALSO READ: Kwa Dubai: Homeowners to be relocated to pave way for renovation A subsequent inspection by the RHA in 2017 revealed the persistence of the same mistakes. As a result, the buyers faced problems with substandard houses, including leaking roofs, cracking walls, poor plumbing, unsafe electrical installations, and inadequate sewerage systems.
