Nyarugenge Primary Court on Wednesday, May 29, fined former lawmaker Eugene Barikana Rwf500,000 for illegal possession of firearms. Barikana was detained on May 11 over illegal possession of firearms.

Delivering the verdict, the judge stated that the court found Barikana guilty of illegal possession of firearms and therefore imposed a fine, noting that Barikana had pleaded guilty and it was his first offense.

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The judge stated that court had imposed a fine of Rwf1 million on Barikana. Due to mitigating circumstances, he was required to pay only half of the fine without serving a jail sentence, as the law allows for either type of penalty, court heard.

During the hearing on May 23, Prosecution requested court to hand a two-year jail sentence to Barikana. According to the prosecution, he was found in possession of one grenade and a magazine of an AK47 submachine gun. He was detained on May 11, after resigning from his parliamentary duties.

During the hearing on May 23, Barikana pleaded guilty and explained to court that during his time as prefect of Kibungu Prefecture, now part of Eastern Province, he lived with soldiers assigned to protect him. Barikana disclosed that the soldiers guarding him had a house where they lived and kept their clothes in a closet along with all their belongings. He claimed that he was unaware that the weapons were still in there and suspected that the soldiers may have left them in the closet in the past.