EU Team commends Rwanda’s ability in Forensic Services

A group of the European Council responsible for monitoring the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, visited the Rwanda Forensic Laboratory (RFL) and was surprised by the excellent services it provides.

The team, led by Gadjo Anastasia, visited the RFL on Wednesday afternoon, February 8, 2023.

They were in Rwanda for a meeting held in Kigali a few days ago, to assess the readiness of Rwanda to be able to sign the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime.

Director General of Rwanda Forensic Laboratory (RFL), Dr. Charles Karangwa, told media that the group visited this laboratory where there is a scientific evidences are examined including the examination of evidence of crimes done with the use of technology.

He announced that the group was very surprised by the progress of Rwanda in the services of this laboratory because they are expensive in other places like Europe and require special efforts to provide them.

He said, “They wonder how long [services] have been in Rwanda for us to be at this level”.

The group said that Rwanda would be a partner because of the services of evidence based on scientific proof used in justice, instead they will be happy to see it sign the Budapest agreement because it would be a very important thing.

Rwanda has presented a project to sign the Budapest agreement, and there are discussions on the requirements for this agreement to be signed.

After the law establishing the RFL was passed in 2016, in 2018 it started providing services to justice institutions, the private sector, the public and others in a fast and modern way.

In the same year, this Laboratory was removed from the responsibility of the Police and given a legal status, called “Rwanda Forensic Laboratory: RFL” where it is now overseen by the Ministry of Justice.

It now has state-of-the-art equipment worth over a billion and a half and a staff of experts, giving it the ability to examine forensic evidence, where it can test what a person has eaten or drunk.

RFL currently provides services including DNA testing, blood analysis, post mortem testing, violent injury testing and gun and ammunition testing.

The lab also tests audio and video, forensics, footprint testing, crime scene testing, and poison testing.