The Nyarugenge Intermediate Court on Monday, October 23 commenced the appeal hearing for Benoît Munyankindi, the Secretary General of the Rwanda Cycling Federation (FERWACY), who is challenging his remand decision.

Munyankindi has appealed against the Kicukiro Primary Court's decision to detain him on charges of using forged documents, favoritism, and nepotism.

During the hearing, Munyankindi said that his appeal was based on the claim that he had been remanded for a crime he did not commit. He argued that the lower court had overlooked the surety he had provided, along with his explanation.

According to the prosecution, they alleged that he committed favoritism and nepotism by including his wife on the official delegates list to attend a cycling competition abroad, and this was done using forged documents.

In his defense, Munyankindi denied the charges. He contended that his wife held a leadership position within a cycling team in Nyabihu district and was a member of FERWACY. A meeting chaired by the General Assembly of the federation had decided to allow members to independently fund their participation in the team's activities.

Munyankindi's wife, as a member, had taken this action because she had three players in the team and covered her own expenses. Additionally, her badge indicated that she was part of those who accompanied the team rather than being an official representative of Ferwacy.

Furthermore, Munyankindi emphasized that he never had the authority to make decisions and that decision-making was beyond his jurisdiction. His role was to prepare the documents for approval and signature by the federation's president. Consequently, he requested bail so that he could stand trial outside of detention.

On the prosecution's side, they urged the court to uphold the lower court's decision and keep him in remand. The verdict in this case is scheduled to be delivered by the Nyarugenge Intermediate Court on October 27.