The ruling was delivered on September 2, 2026, after the prosecution requested 30 days of remand, arguing that there were substantial grounds to believe Shema committed the alleged offences and that he could abscond if released while investigations continued.

The case stems from a contract worth more than €1 million between Africa Medical Supplier Plc, a company owned by Shema that deals in medical equipment, and ABZL International General Trading LLC. The agreement, signed on January 23, 2024, was linked to World Bank procurement for the supply of medical equipment to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Under the agreement, Africa Medical Supplier was required to pay ABZL within 60 days. The prosecution told the court that the company failed to meet the payment deadline and repeatedly delayed ABZL before eventually promising to settle the outstanding amount by email.

On August 5, 2025, Shema allegedly issued ABZL two cheques worth $400,000 and $200,000. The prosecution said the cheques were dishonoured because the company’s account did not have sufficient funds between August 1 and 10, 2025.

Shema denied the charges, saying ABZL was a financial services company based in the United Arab Emirates with which he had maintained business relations since 2017. He said their previous contracts had been successfully completed.

He told the court that Africa Medical Supplier had paid $400,000 in May 2024 and another $400,000 in December 2024, but that the second payment could not be completed because of an issue with ABZL’s account. He said the contract required ABZL to provide an alternative account in such circumstances.

Shema also said a dispute between ABZL shareholders led one of them to take the cheques, add payment instructions and request that the money be paid into a US bank account. He questioned why cheques originally intended for payment in Dubai would be redirected to the United States.

Shema maintained that he would not flee if released and told the court that he owns assets worth more than Rwf5 billion that could be used as security.

His defence counsel challenged the validity and handling of the cheques, arguing that the bank had cancelled them on July 16, 2025, before the alleged offence date of August 5. The lawyer also pointed to a change in the payment destination from the UAE to a US bank account on June 25, 2025.

The defence asked the court to grant Shema bail, arguing that the dispute arose from a commercial contract rather than a personal criminal matter.

The defence also said they submitted evidence of a $600,000 payment made through BK and a letter requesting assistance from the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) to transfer the funds to the designated account.

The court also noted discrepancies in the cheques, including the fact that both bore the same cheque number. The original did not have a date, while the copy presented to the court was dated either August 5 or August 8, 2025. Both documents bore Shema’s signature.

The prosecution, however, told the court that when RIB asked the bank whether the cheques were covered, the bank confirmed that they were not, noting that the Africa Medical Supplier account held just over $1,000.

After considering the submissions, the court remanded Shema in custody for 30 days as investigations continue.