This archive report was first published on 17 September 2019.
On September 17, 2019, a court in Kigali handed down a two-year prison sentence and a Rwf3 million ($3,254) fine to a Kenyan national, Charles Kinuthia, for defrauding hundreds of Rwandans through a fake wealth conference.
According to the court, Kinuthia solicited money from hundreds of Rwandans to attend his 'Wealth Conference' in the capital in May 2019, promising them a value bonus of resources worth $197 each at the end of the conference.
However, Kinuthia argued that the attendants were to receive a value bonus of resources worth $197, not cash, but the court found him guilty of using tactics to confuse interested people and get money from them.
The court also denied Kinuthia a suspended penalty, citing that he pleaded not guilty right at the beginning and never showed remorse for the allegations against him.
His co-accused, Kenyans Vivian Khisa Mukhwana and Rachel Matipei, and Rwandan Mohamed Niyonkuru, were acquitted due to insufficient evidence showing their involvement in the scam.
