Rwanda Case Law

IMIRONGO CoA - No 25 - March 2025

Court

Court of Appeal

The Court of Appeal established that in criminal cases, especially defilement of minors, no excuse or justification can exonerate the accused; strict liability applies. In contract and commercial matters, failure to meet contractual deadlines without valid reason constitutes breach, entitling the other party to terminate and claim damages. In appeals, procedural compliance is mandatory, and mitigation of sentence is strictly limited to confessions made before closure of first instance proceedings. Evidence, including hearsay and testimony from minors, is admissible if corroborated. In drug ca…

Source excerpt

• Sexual offences against children
• Contract breach
• Exequatur
• Appeals procedure
• Mitigation of sentence
• Evidence law

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ADVANCE MATERIAL TRADING PTE LTD (AMT LTD) v GISANDE TRADING LTD ET AL.

Court

Supreme Court

Case number

RS/INJUST/RCOM 00004/2022/SC

The Supreme Court partly allowed review, ordering deregistration and re-registration of the disputed property to enable mortgage registration, but refused an order for any undetermined loan balance.

• Mortgage enforcement
• Loan agreements
• Contract breach
• Property registration
• Guarantees
• Damages

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IMIRONGO CoA - Mutarama 2024 - Booklet#14

Court

Court of Appeal

A Court of Appeal digest from January 2024 summarizing rules on appeals, evidence, sentencing mitigation, damages, and judgment correction in multiple cases.

• Appeals
• Damages
• Sentencing
• Admission of evidence
• Labour termination
• Contract breach

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IMIRONGO CoA - Ukwakira 2023 - Booklet#11

Court

Court of Appeal

The Court of Appeal established binding principles on the scope of appeals, intervention, finality of certain decisions, procedural requirements for auctions and employment termination, mitigation of criminal sentences, evidentiary standards for confessions and witness testimony, differentiation between drug possession and trafficking, and the requirements for valid land registration and contract annulment.

Source excerpt

• Appeals
• Joinder and intervention
• Res judicata
• Auction annulment
• Employment termination
• Mitigation of sentence

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FANTASTIC INVESTMENT GROUP LTD v NCBA BANK RWANDA Plc

Court

Court of Appeal

Case number

RCOMAA 00072/2022/CA

The Court of Appeal held the second appeal inadmissible because the same issues had already been decided by the lower courts on the same grounds.

• Loan agreements
• Force majeure
• Contract breach
• Appellate jurisdiction
• Damages
• Banking regulations

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KOBIL PETROLEUM RWANDA v. MILIMO GASPARD

Court

Supreme Court

Case number

RCOMA 0010/11/CS

The Supreme Court held that a review issue should not be decided in summary proceedings and suspended execution of a commercial judgment because seizure risked considerable loss.

• Summary procedure
• Provisional suspension of judgment execution
• Review of judgments
• Contract breach
• Seizure of accounts
• Summary-procedure

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