He was last in Rwanda in 2010, after which it was revealed that he fled to South Africa, a country where he had been running business.

This move came following discoveries that he was involved in tax evasion and had connections with subversive groups aiming to destabilize Rwanda’s security, whom he also supported financially.

Born around 1941 in Rwanda, Rujugiro spent a significant portion of his life in Burundi as a refugee, where he began his tobacco business.

Businessman Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa has passed on.