Police are holding a man accused of impersonating a lawyer subscribing to Kigali Bar Association, the professional body where all practicing lawyers are registered. The suspect, in custody at Remera Police Station, is a resident of Kicukiro District. He was arrested while pleading case in a court in Gicumbi District. Police spokesperson in the City of Kigali Urbain Mwiseneza said the suspect’s action was undermining the credibility of the Rwandan justice system and misleading people by assuming responsibility beyond his ability, as well as conning people of their money. The suspect pleaded guilty. Athanase Rutabingwa, the president of the bar association, said the suspect is among three people they have been tracking down after they learnt of their gambit. The suspect is said to have started posing as a lawyer in 2009 and, according to Rutabingwa, apart from the penal measures that will be meted out on him if convicted, all past cases he was involved in will be affected. However, this paper could not readily establish the number of cases the suspected impersonator has been involved in. Rutabingwa added that there were other likely charges against the suspect, including forging and uttering professional documents to facilitate his criminal enterprise.
