The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Governance Board (RGB), Emmanuel Nibishaka, has been handed a five-year jail sentence and slapped with a fine of Rwf3 million after being convicted of fraud and using forged documents.

Delivering the verdict on December 14, the judge at Nyarugenge Intermediate Court said that Nibishaka will serve half of his sentence in jail while the other half will be suspended. It was also ruled that he refunds the money to the four victims and pay for damages.

The judge said the decision comes after the court examined all evidence submitted by prosecution and the fact that Nibishaka admitted the crimes he is accused of after his arrest.

During the hearing in substance that took place on December 6, the prosecution which was represented by prosecutor Charles Kayove said that last year, on various occasions Nibishaka collected about $22,100 approximately Rwf24,050,988, from different people with a promise to help them get visas to the US for studies.

In addition, he forged invitations to meetings in the US and sent emails using another person's account.

The defendant also altered the date and destination of a previous travel clearance and used it to travel to Kenya, allegedly after getting wind of the criminal case against him.

Usually, senior civil servants are required to seek authorisation from the Prime Minister's office before traveling out of the country.

On the other hand, Nibishaka admitted all the charges, apologised, and requested a suspended sentence to be able to refund the victims.

According to law, Nibishaka has 30 days to appeal, in case he wishes to challenge the court decision. The same applies to prosecution, should they be discontented with the verdict.