Joseph Bideri, the Chief Executive Officer and Editor-in-Chief of Rwandan Intelligence Services’ news media group, New Times, has been arrested over the night, AfroAmerica Network correspondents in Kigali report.
The New Times is an umbrella of news media controlled by Rwandan Intelligence services. It includes the New Times English daily newspaper, the Sunday Times English weekly newspaper, Izuba Rirashe Rwanda newspaper, The New Times English Online, and Izuba Rirashe Rwanda Online. According to the US Embassy in Rwandasee our article US Embassy in Rwanda: New Times, Government Mouthpiece Run by Rwandan President’s Office., they all serve as a mouthpiece of the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front and the Rwandan Dictator Paul Kagame. Joseph Bideri has been a front man, while the Rwandan Intelligence Chief, Dr. Emmanuel Ndahiro is the “eminence grise”, the behind the scenes boss.
In October 2010, Joseph Bideri fled to Canada, where he is a citizen, following allegations of mismanagement and embezzlement (see AfroAmerica Network article: CEO of Rwandan Intelligence Media, New Times, Joseph Bideri Flees to Canada of Monday, October 4, 2010″. He was allegedly bribed into coming back and returned to Rwandan after close to a month. He soon realized the trap and tried to flee again. According to sources close to his family, the security net around him was so tight he has been under a virtual house arrest for the last year.
Mr Joseph was arrested today on Monday 14 2011 in the morning, interrogated for most of the day by the Rwandan intelligence services within notorious Criminal Investigations Department. He was then led to a local jail over the night. Sources close to the family told AfroAmerica Network that Joseph Bideri was able to contact the relatives to confirm he was detained after a lengthy interrogation and was accused of being against the government and threatening the security of the state.
According to sources close to the Rwandan security and Intelligence Services, Joseph Bideri may be charged of mismanagement, tax evasion, mail fraud, money laundering and abuse of the function of journalism and journalistic ethics.
However, the same sources say his problems rather come from long term differences with the Rwandan Intelligence chief, Dr. Emmanuel Ndahiro and the current tension within Paul Kagame’s inner circle.
The rivalry between Dr. Emmanuel Ndahiro and Joseph Bideri date from when they were both special advisors to the Rwandan dictator Paul Kagame (see our article “Rwanda: Mbaraga divides Kagame’s top advisors of August 29, 2002 here). At that time, the conflicts and fights for influence were frequent among the four advisors: Emmanuel Ndahiro, Theogene Rudasingwa, Kagame’s Chief of Staff and Joseph Nsengimana.
Eventually Theogene Rudasingwa fled the country and has been a vocal critic of Paul Kagame. Now it appears to be Joseph Bideri’s turn.
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