Moses Turahirwa, the 32-year-old founder of Moshions, a renowned fashion house in Rwanda, appeared before the Nyarugenge Intermediate Court on May 10, facing charges of drug abuse and document forgery.
During the bail hearing, Turahirwa was accompanied by his two lawyers, Irene Bayisabe and Frank Asiimwe, while the prosecution was represented by two prosecutors.
The prosecution outlined the grounds for bringing Turahirwa to court, stating that he had forged a copy of his passport by changing the gender from male, as indicated in the original document, to F (female) as well as the age.
They also pointed out that he had used cannabis on multiple occasions, and a fragment of cannabis was found within a shirt discovered in his room. The prosecution presented several pieces of evidence to support their case, including Rwanda Forensic Laboratory tests confirming that he illegally used cannabis and a conversation between him and an individual residing in Italy, where he shared a forged copy of his passport.
The prosecution requested the court to remand him for 30 days, emphasising that the crimes he is being prosecuted for attracts a punishment exceeding two years of imprisonment and expressed concerns that he might evade justice if not kept in custody.
In his defense, Turahirwa explained that the drugs found in his bloodstream was a result of smoking cannabis during his two-year stay in Italy. However, he denied the accusation of passport forgery, claiming that the alterations made to his passport copy were solely for his upcoming new movie titled 'Kwanda Season One.' He also stated that he had never worn the particular shirt in which the fragment of cannabis was found.
One of his lawyers, Bayisabe argued that there was no crime involved in modifying a copy of the passport, as the client couldn't use the copy to travel or present it anywhere. Bayisabe also reiterated that the drugs were used outside of the country.
Turahirwa and his lawyers presented sureties, including his sister, father and his company Moshions which his lawyers said is worth $3 million (over Rwf 3bn).
The judge ruled that the bail ruling on the matter would be rendered next week on May 15.
