Rwanda and Guinea have begun exploring a judicial partnership aimed at strengthening the fight against economic and financial crimes, including cross-border investigations, extradition and the exchange of technical expertise.
The proposal emerged from a meeting in Kigali on October 26 between Rwanda’s Chief Justice, Domitilla Mukantaganzwa, and Guinea’s Special Prosecutor at the Court for the Repression of Economic and Financial Offences (CRIEF), Alphonse Charles Wright, according to The New Times.
The two sides also discussed measures to prevent either country from becoming a refuge for suspects fleeing prosecution elsewhere.
Rwanda’s Judiciary spokesperson, Harrison Mutabazi, said the Guinean delegation sought to learn from Rwanda’s experience in investigating, prosecuting and adjudicating financial crimes.
In turn, the Guinean special prosecutor said the priority would be sharing expertise, while the partnership could also cover extradition requests and judicial assistance, including the execution of letters rogatory, formal requests for legal help from another jurisdiction.
He singled out Rwanda’s digitization of investigative procedures as an area where Guinea could benefit, and noted that Guinea has advanced in electronic signatures and said the two countries should exchange experience in both directions.
Guinea’s CRIEF is a specialized court established in December 2021 to pursue corruption, embezzlement, money laundering and other major economic offences. Its work includes cases involving alleged misappropriation of public funds and illicit enrichment, making international legal assistance particularly relevant to its mandate.
The Rwanda Investigation Bureau, created in 2017, has dedicated divisions for economic and financial crimes, while the Rwanda Forensic Institute provides digital forensic and questioned-document services used in fraud, corruption and embezzlement investigations.
