Ministry issues warning over private notaries

Rwanda’s Justice Ministry has warned the public against seeking services from private notaries without verifying whether they are accredited. It said the public can verify a notary's accreditation by visiting its website www.minijust.gov.rw. The New Times reports that Theophile Mbonera, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, also advised the public to request service cards which are issued by the ministry. The announcement came less than two weeks after a private notary was arrested along with two others after they were suspected participating in fraudulent land transfers, which were done without the knowledge of rightful property owners.