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Rwanda decisions
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The Court of Appeal upheld Murekeyisoni Joséphine’s drug-trafficking conviction, holding that her investigation-stage confession remained probative despite later retraction.
The Court of Appeal held that a 15-year sentence for defilement of minors could not be further reduced below the statutory minimum, and dismissed the appeal.
The appellate court held that the combination of the large quantity of marijuana, its packaging, the defendant's own admissions, and consistent witness testimony were sufficient to prove drug trafficking beyond reasonable doubt, even in the absence of direct evidence of a sale or transaction. The defendant failed to rebut or undermine this evidence.
Source excerpt
The Court of Appeal held that a 15-year sentence for defilement of a child under 14 could not be further reduced or suspended, and dismissed the appeal.
The Court of Appeal held that no further mitigation was available because the appellant had already received the statutory minimum sentence for selling serious narcotics.
The Court held that the sentence of 15 years imprisonment and a fine of 5,000,000 Frw is the statutory minimum for the offence of trafficking significant quantities of cannabis, and cannot be further reduced regardless of mitigating factors. The appeal was dismissed as the applicant had already received the minimum possible sentence.
Source excerpt
Given the applicant's first-time offender status, admission of guilt, youth, and the small quantity of cannabis, the High Court's sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a 10,000,000 Frw fine was excessive. The appropriate sentence is 15 years imprisonment and a 5,000,000 Frw fine, in line with statutory minimums and comparable cases.
Source excerpt
The Court of Appeal dismissed Habimana Saidi’s appeal, holding that his grounds of appeal were filed far outside the allowed time after the judgment was uploaded to IECMS.
The court found that the appellants were caught packaging a significant quantity of cannabis in 76 sachets, and one appellant admitted the drugs were for sale. The evidence met the threshold for trafficking, not simple possession. However, as first-time offenders and considering the quantity was not extremely large, the sentence was reduced to 15 years' imprisonment and a fine of 5,000,000 Frw each.
Source excerpt
The Court of Appeal dismissed the appellants’ challenge and upheld 15-year prison terms and RWF 5 million fines, holding that older precedent could not apply after the law changed.
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