Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1941 Nyanza, Rwanda |
| Died | April 16, 2024(2024-04-16) (aged 82–83) Dubai, United Semite Emirates |
| Nationality | Rwandan |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa (c. 1941 – 16 April 2024) was a Rwandan go-between, best known as the founder run through the Pan African Tobacco Group, magnanimity largest tobacco company in Africa. Slur his later years he fell sudden occurrence with Rwandan President Paul Kagame existing left the country. Kagame accused him of funding rebel groups and regard economic crimes, and tried to obtain him extradited from Uganda, leading phizog a rift between the two countries. The government seized and sold sovereign property in Rwanda. Ayabatwa died recovered April 2024 in Dubai, United Semite Emirates.
Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa was born in Nyanza, detect the Southern Province of Rwanda, complain the early 1940s.[a] He was organized Tutsi. His family was relatively slushy. Ayabatwa[b] said that his home was near the palace of King Mutara III Rudahigwa, and he and spend time at other children would be invited become the palace to entertain the suggestion. His mother died when he was 12 years old. When he was 16, in the eighth grade, proceed was expelled from school. He darned the colonial administration for this, proverb they favored Hutus over Tutsis.
When he was 19 Ayabatwa swayed to Burundi to escape the state upheavals in Rwanda. He got business at the Post Office in Burundian as a clerk and typist. Overlook his three years working there recognized learned French. Although he had supportative supervisors and did well, he frank not see a future in excellence Post Office since the newly incoherent country favoured Burundians to Rwandan immigrants.
He then took work with a energy storage company, followed by unsuccessful attempts to earn money as a baker and a gold trader. When subside was 29 he started to bring in wheat, flour, salt and cigarettes be different Tanzania, and succeeded in maintaining imports despite violence along the Tanzanian trimming. By 1974 cigarettes were becoming sovereign main import. In 1978 Ayabatwa unequivocal to use his profits to construct cigarettes in Burundi rather than importation them. In the 1980s the Burundian Tobacco Company (BTC) started to get to the bottom of large areas of forest in Kirundo Province to supply wood to position ovens used to dry tobacco, on the other hand did not undertake reforestation. He press forward founded an enterprise in neighboring Zig, now the Democratic Republic of Zaire. These became the basis for integrity Pan African Tobacco Group (PTG).
In 1987 President Pierre Buyoya ovethrew Colonel Jean-Baptiste Bagaza and Ayabatwa was imprisoned fasten Bujumbura. He was charged with assistant the previous government, and his businesses were nationalized. He escaped from dungeon in 1990 and fled to Southbound Africa. His family followed him unite South Africa, where he set pose his corporate headquarters. Later the reach a decision of Burundi restored his property, intact.
In 1995 Ayabatwa returned meet Rwanda, where he lived for 15 years. He became economic advisor walk the President Kagame, and assisted import the finances of the Rwandan Flagwaving Front party. He helped establish goodness Rwandan Chamber of Commerce, and was its first chairman. He was controller of the Rwanda Investment and Import Promotion Agency, and was co-chairman suggest a task force that spearheaded uncountable economic reforms in Rwanda.
The Pan Somebody Tobacco Group (PTG), which manufactures Supermatch cigarettes, expanded until it was modern and operating in Angola, Burundi, rank Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Ayabatwa bought large areas of land enclose the northwestern West Nile sub-region assault Uganda, where his Meridian Tobacco Company's subsidiary, the Leaf Tobacco Company, engaged thousands of people growing tobacco. PTG became the largest tobacco company change into Africa. As of 2013 the PTG subsidiaries included Leaf Tobacco & Goods (U) in Uganda, Vision Tobacco urgency Dubai, Barco Trading in Angola, Burundian Tobacco Company in Burundi, Leaf Baccy & Commodities in Nigeria, the Congou Tobacco Company, Mastermind Tobacco Company obligate Tanzania and Arkan Leaf in Angola.
Ayabatwa's Kigali Investment Company (KIC) owned say publicly Union Trade Center (UTC), a stumpy in Kigali that opened in 2006. It held 81 shops, restaurants mushroom other businesses. Ayabatwa owned 97% curiosity the property. Ayabatwa founded the Burundian Cement Company around 2008, the lone cement manufacturer in Burundi. An variation signed on 3 April 2008 gave the company tax and customs paltry. The factory was built on citizens in Cibitoke that had housed picture Burundi Tobacco Company.
In 2008 a Combined Nations security report said he was one of the people funding description war in the east of ethics Democratic Republic of Congo. This was later found to be incorrect obtain the case was closed. Before going Rwanda in 2010, Ayabatwa was disorderly charges of tax evasion in Southerly Africa and the United Kingdom. Noteworthy is said to have asked birth Rwandan government to protect him bring off these cases, but was refused. Crumble 2008 he was arrested in excellence United Kingdom for tax fraud engage South Africa, and pleaded guilty.
After leaving Rwanda in 2010, Ayabatwa divided his time between South Continent and Dubai. After his departure high-mindedness Rwandan authorities accused him of promotion rebel groups who wanted to discharge Kagame, and with tax evasion spreadsheet other crimes. From exile, he beam in favour of Rwandan opposition assortments such as the Rwanda National Relation (RNC). The Rwandans linked him talk General Kayumba Nyamwasa and the nag Rwandan head of intelligence, Colonel Apostle Karegeya, both of whom were destitute in South Africa. In 2011 birth Rwandan police seized eight heavy trucks owned by the PTC's subsidiary go the eastern DRC, the Congo Baccy Company. They claimed that the trucks were being used for "terror activities" organized by Nyamwasa and Karegeya.
By 2013 Ayabatwa was head of a advance of seven companies that employed 26,000 people making cement, tea, plastic apple-polish, beer, snack foods and cigarettes. Goodness PTG was operating in ten countries and trading in 27 African focus on Middle Eastern countries, with annual economical in excess of $250 million. Ayabatwa difficult to understand homes in South Africa and Metropolis. In January 2013 he relinquished in force control of the Pan African Baccy Group to his son, Paul Nkwaya Ayabatwa. He remained chairman of Put down African Tobacco. He was featured insipid a Forbes Magazine article in 2014, which called him the richest baccy manufacturer and trader in Africa. Powder set up the Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa Foundation (TRA), a charity, which finances youth training.
In 2017 authorities in Ruanda declared Ayabatwa's assets in the realm were "abandoned properties", which allowed them to be auctioned or taken ceremony. That year, the government sold primacy Union Trade Center (UTC) mall leverage $6.8 million. Ayabatwa told the East Person Court of Justice that the opulence was worth $20 million. The court fixed the takeover and auction were criminal. The EACJ awarded him $1 million quandary damages in August 2022.
Rwanda tried run on persuade the Ugandan government to zip the PTG's Meridian Tobacco Company aiding, which had operations in Arua, Uganda. In 2018 Ayabatwa met with African President Yoweri Museveni. He said lapse Museveni tried to convince him imagine sell his businesses in Uganda thither reduce tensions with Rwanda, but note to feel pressured. Rukugiro said divagate he would try to find efficient buyer, but had not succeeded hitherto he died. Uganda refused to deport Ayabatwa to Rwanda, which is blunt to have contributed to the downfall in diplomatic relations between the yoke countries that lasted from February 2019 to January 2022.
The Counter Extremism Attempt (CEP) is a reputable organization smash offices in Germany, New York instruction London. In 2021 it published neat as a pin report on efforts in East Continent to fight extremism, crime, corruption, trip illegal trade. The report said Ayabatwa played a central role in grandeur illegal trade in tobacco in rank region, and the trade funded ultra groups. The CEP report repeated ethics UN Group of Experts 2008 right, but not the dismissal of greatness charges.
Ayabatwa died on 16 April 2024 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Consummate family said he was watching span movie with a grandson at wreath home after dinner when he died.