FERWAFA President Shema Fabrice Ngoga has been released after the Nyarugenge Primary Court approved a plea agreement he reached with prosecutors over charges involving bounced cheques and fraud.
Shema had been held in provisional detention after the court ordered on Sept. 2 that he be detained for 30 days while investigations continued.
He was arrested by Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) on Aug. 11 and accused of issuing two cheques without sufficient funds worth $600,000 and fraudulently obtaining another person’s property.
The charges are linked to a business transaction involving Africa Medical Supplier and ABZL International General Trading LLC.
Shema had appealed the detention order at the Nyarugenge High Court. His appeal hearing was postponed after he and the prosecution informed the court that they had reached an agreement.
Under the agreement, Shema admitted the charges and paid the $600,000 covered by the bounced cheques.
The Nyarugenge Primary Court has now approved the agreement and sentenced him to six months in prison, suspended for one year, allowing him to serve the sentence outside prison.
The agreement had provided that the prosecution would seek the suspended sentence after Shema admitted the charges.
It also provides that information he gave during discussions over the agreement cannot be used for purposes unrelated to the plea deal.
The agreement further stated that it would have no legal effect if the court rejected it, in which case the prosecution would have continued the case as though no agreement had been reached.
With the court’s approval of the agreement, Shema has been released from provisional detention.
