Miss Rwanda Divine Muheto has owned up to drink-driving and causing an accident that damaged public infrastructure as prosecution asked she be jailed for 20 months.
The defence team for the 20-year-old, however, asked for leniency, citing her remorse and that she was an “important person” against whom only a fine would suffice.
The sentence would include six months for drink-driving, two months for driving without a permit, and one year for fleeing after causing an accident.
The court is set November 6 for a decision on the matter.
Ms Muheto was crowned in 2022 but maintains the title because the pageant was suspended soon after.
She was arraigned before the Kicukiro Primary Court in the capital Kigali on Thursday to answer for her drink-driving actions.
The prosecution told the court that in the weehours of October 24, Ms Muheto was from a bar located in Kicukiro District, City of Kigali, heading home to Kimironko when she lost control of the vehicle.
She hit a streetlight pole before knocking down a palm tree, the court heard.
During her arraignment at Kicukiro Primary Court on Thursday, the prosecutor told the judge that Muheto was driving her car under influence of alcohol, Rwanda’sState-owned The New Times reported.
She was arrested after police conducted an alcohol test, which revealed her blood alcohol level was significantly high.
Police said the beauty queen did not possess a driver permit, a fact the prosecution used to question her competence behind the wheels and knowledge of traffic rules.
Prosecution also alleged that Ms Muheto had attempted to flee arrest after committing the offences.
However, Ms Muheto’s defence team admitted that she committed the two charges of drink-driving and damaging infrastructure, but denied fleeing the scene.
The court heard that Ms Muheto had accepted responsibility for drink-driving and was showing remorse for her action.
But her lawyer said that she had a provisional driver permiet and understood the traffic rules.
They also denied charges of fleeing the scene, saying Ms Muheto only left for her safety after responders began calling out her name, and gathering around her, yet it was late at night.
While the claims are plausible given her celebrity status, the prosecution rejected it flat out, insisting there was evidence Ms Muheto had returned to the scene to pick her phone in the car and still denied before the police that she was the driver of the car.
Her lawyers pleaded with the court that she should be excused from serving time behind bars and only pay a fine, citing her status as “an important person”.
Ms Muheto said she has projects of national importance in regards to fighting stunting among children and that she was a student at the African Leadership University and needs to study.
