Controversy surrounding a building in Kisimenti, Remera in Kigali might come to an end after government intervened. The building belongs to Genocide convict Etienne Nzabonimana. It was linked to a mortgage he acquired from Rwanda Commercial Bank (BCR), which he failed to pay.After the bank secured court orders to auction the building, it emerged that a group of Genocide survivors had also secured court orders to sell the same property to raise reparation. This prompted government to intervene, setting up a commission to investigate the issue since all the claimants said they were the rightful beneficiaries. The Minister for Justice Tharcisse Karugarama, told The New Times at the weekend that the building will not be auctioned by BCR; instead, Gasabo District will pay the bank its debts. “We agreed that Gasabo District, which is currently managing the building, repays the bank loan in public interest. The bank will be paid around Rwf200m,” Karugarama said. Nzabonimana, a businessman, was convicted in Belgium in 2005 for his role in the Genocide. In the 1990s, he acquired Rwf297m loan from BCR through his company, Nosocorwa. The Belgian court also ordered compensation of 15 Genocide survivors with about Rwf463m. Karugarama said the deserving claimants will be established after Gasabo clears the bank.
