A former youth and culture minister in Rwanda was given a five-year prison term for corruption-related offenses, which is one year longer than the prior sentence.
When Edouard Bamporiki’s original sentence was handed down last year, it was a rare instance of a high-ranking official being found guilty of corruption in the nation.
In May of last year, he was removed from the government and placed under house arrest while a corruption and power abuse investigation was underway. Up to this decision, he was still under house arrest.
Bamporiki admitted to the allegations on Twitter and begged President Paul Kagame’s pardon, but a court sentenced him to four years in prison in September, and he challenged the decision.
A high court judge in Kigali, the country’s capital, stated on Monday that “justice needs to be administered to set an example.”
Formerly a fervent supporter of President Kagame and the ruling party, the 39-year-old poet and director ascended quickly through the ranks.
The BBC was informed by his attorney, Evode Kayitana, that they had not made a decision regarding an appeal.
