Rwanda Case Law

UBUSHINJACYAHA vs MURWANASHYAKA

Court

Court of Appeal

Case number

RPAA01444/2024/CA

The Court of Appeal found that there was no sufficient and credible evidence, beyond reasonable doubt, to convict Murwanashyaka Asmani Appolinaire of defilement of a minor. The confession was not corroborated by other evidence, the child’s testimony was not supported as required by law, and the prosecution failed to provide conclusive proof. Therefore, the conviction was overturned and the accused acquitted.

Source excerpt

• Sexual offences against children
• Standard of proof
• Admissibility of confessions
• Weight of child testimony
• Appeal procedure

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RLR V. 3- 2025

Court

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court lacks jurisdiction to review the constitutionality of internal rules and regulations of the Bar Association. The requirement for an ILPD diploma and Bar admission test for advocates, but not for judges/prosecutors or other professions, does not violate the principle of equality before the law because the legal profession is distinct and requires specialized qualifications. The legislator had discretion to provide transitional exemptions for certain advocates and judicial defenders, and the exclusion of judges/prosecutors from these exemptions does not constitute unconstituti…

Source excerpt

• Equality before the law
• Judicial review
• Bar admission requirements

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UBUSHINJACYAHA VS HAVUGIMANA

Court

Court of Appeal

Case number

RS/REV/RP00074/2024/CA

The Court of Appeal held that the review application was filed out of time because the alleged new evidence was already available earlier and was not shown to be inaccessible.

• Review of final judgment
• New evidence
• Procedural time limits
• Criminal-procedure
• Review-of-final-judgment
• New-evidence

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UBUSHINJACYAHA vs NSABIMANA

Court

Court of Appeal

Case number

RPAA01455/2024/CA

The Court of Appeal held that a sentence for defilement of a child cannot be reduced below 15 years on mitigating grounds, and the sentence could not be suspended.

• Defilement of a minor
• Sentencing
• Mitigating circumstances
• Suspension of sentence
• Criminal-law
• Defilement-of-a-child

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UBUSHINJACYAHA v. ISHIMWE

Court

Court of Appeal

Case number

RDP 00002/2025/CA

The Court of Appeal held that a convicted person ordered to be retried on grounds of injustice is released pending retrial without a separate application.

• Provisional release
• Retrial on grounds of injustice
• Execution of judgments
• Provisional-release
• Retrial-on-grounds-of-injustice
• Execution-of-judgments

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UBUSHINJACYAHA v. NTUYENABO

Court

Court of Appeal

Case number

RPAA 01427/2024/CA

The Court of Appeal upheld a 15-year prison sentence and 5,000,000 Frw fine for Ntuyenabo Fabrice, holding that no further reduction was legally permitted.

• Drug offences
• Sentencing
• Mitigating circumstances
• Appeal procedure
• Criminal-law
• Drug-offences

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UBUSHINJACYAHA v. NYAMINANI

Court

Court of Appeal

Case number

RPAA 01375/2024/CA

The Court of Appeal reduced Nyaminani Damascène’s sentence for child rape from 18 years to 15 years, emphasizing consistency and mitigating factors.

• Sentencing
• Mitigating circumstances
• Sexual offences
• Appeals
• Criminal-law
• Mitigating-circumstances

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UBUSHINJACYAHA v. HAKIZIMANA

Court

Court of Appeal

Case number

RPAA 01373/2024/CA

The sentence of 15 years imprisonment imposed on Hakizimana Dominique for defilement is the minimum allowed by law after mitigation; further reduction is legally impermissible. The appeal lacks merit and the prior judgment stands.

Source excerpt

• Sentencing
• Mitigating circumstances
• Sexual offences against minors
• Appeal procedure

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Re Roger Martyn SHAW

Court

Court of Appeal

Case number

RS/RECT/RCOM00002/2025/CA

The Court of Appeal corrected clerical and typographical errors in an earlier judgment, including the applicant’s name, under Article 140 of Law No. 22/2018.

• Rectification of judgment
• Clerical errors
• Judgment correction
• Rectification-of-judgment
• Clerical-errors
• Judgment-correction

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BIMENYIMANA v. NDERERIMANA

Court

Supreme Court

Case number

RS/INJUST/RCOM 00006/2023/SC

The Supreme Court annulled an auction of Ndererimana Gédéon’s property for failed notice and publication requirements, and ordered compensation for a good-faith purchaser’s improvements.

• Auction annulment
• Notice requirements
• Compensation for improvements
• Land registration
• Damages for emotional distress
• Auction-annulment

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