Muheto arrives at Kicukiro Primary Court where she was charged with three offences.
Miss Rwanda 2022, Divine Nshuti Muheto, who was arrested and detained on charges of drunk driving and damaging public infrastructure, was on Thursday arraigned in Kicukiro Primary Court where prosecutors levelled three charges against her.
The 21-year old beauty queen arrived at the Kicukiro-based court with blogger and social media influence, Jean Bosco Sengabo, commonly known as ‘Fatakumavuta’, who also faces several charges following his October 18 arrest on charges of cyber stalking, cyber bullying, inciting divisions and drug abuse.
Muheto was detained on October 20 after she was involved in an accident which prosecutors say was caused by drunk-driving. The reigning Miss Rwanda is also accused of driving without a license, knocking and damaging public infrastructure and fleeing the scene after the incident.
Muheto pleaded guilty to some of the charges, including driving under the influence of alcohol, driving without a proper driving license and damaging a palm tree and street light but she told court that she did not intend to flee the scene but she went away after a crowd began to gather and some people started calling her by name.
She noted that she feared that they would film her or harm her and she decided to go away and return when law enforcement organs arrive. Prosecutors however alleged that Muheto fled the scene immediately but later she remembered that she had left her phones behind and she returned to pick them.
Court heard that when she was confronted, Muheto denied being the one behind the wheel, insisting on the same when questioned by traffic police officers, who tested her and the alcohol test returned a positive result.
Prosecutors said that the breathalyser returned a 4.0 result when the maximum drivers can’t exceed at 0.8, which means that she had imbibed a lot of alcohol. It is alleged that Muheto was advised to take responsibility for her actions and she admitted but insists that she had not run away from the scene but rather fled from the attention the incident brought to her.
Muheto arrived at the Kicukiro-based court with blogger ‘Fatakumavuta’.
Prosecutors told court that on the 24th of October, Muheto left the Kicukiro-based upscale bar Atelier Du Vin, at around midnight, driving a KIA SPORTAGE and on her way home, she lost control of the car in Nyakabanda – Kicukiro, hitting an electric pole and a palm tree, damaging her car in the process.
Muheto is represented by advocates Iyakaremye Bosco, Rutabingwa Athanase and Safari Kizito. She was found in possession of a temporary driving license, which is issued after passing theoretical driving tests, but does not allow one to drive without an instructor.
Regarding the charges, Prosecutors requested court for six months sentence and a fine of Rwf180,000 on the charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, a sentence of two months and a fine of Rwf10,000 on the charge of driving without a permit as well as a sentence of one year in a correctional facility and a fine of Rwf30,000 for fleeing the scene.
If found guilty, she would serve a sentence of one year and eight months and pay a total of Rwf220,000 in fines. The hearing is ongoing. She has been in detention for the past 11 days.
Meanwhile, court adjourned the bail hearing of blogger Fatakumavuta because he said he had not reviewed his file with his lawyers, asking court for at least one week to put together his defence.
