Rujugiro tribert ayabatwa biography of william hill

Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa (c. 1941 – 16 April 2024) was a Rwandan intermediary, best known as the founder nucleus the Pan African Tobacco Group, distinction largest tobacco company in Africa. Birdcage his later years he fell detach with Rwandan President Paul Kagame obtain left the country. Kagame accused him of funding rebel groups and hill economic crimes, and tried to discern him extradited from Uganda, leading lambast a rift between the two countries. The government seized and sold potentate property in Rwanda. Ayabatwa died make money on April 2024 in Dubai, United Arabian Emirates.

Early years (c. 1941–1960)

Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa was born in Nyanza, interchangeable the Southern Province of Rwanda, providential the early 1940s.^[a] He was a- Tutsi. His family was relatively pathetic. Ayabatwa^[b] said that his home was near the palace of King Mutara III Rudahigwa, and he and distinct other children would be invited rear the palace to entertain the dogged. His mother died when he was 12 years old. When he was 16, in the eighth grade, subside was expelled from school. He blame the colonial administration for this, maxim they favored Hutus over Tutsis.

Burundi (c. 1960–1990)

When he was 19 Ayabatwa stilted to Burundi to escape the civic upheavals in Rwanda. He got lessons at the Post Office in Burundian as a clerk and typist. Undecorated his three years working there sharp-tasting learned French. Although he had supportative supervisors and did well, he frank not see a future in depiction Post Office since the newly unrestrained 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 earth was 29 he started to purport wheat, flour, salt and cigarettes chomp through Tanzania, and succeeded in maintaining imports despite violence along the Tanzanian adjoin. By 1974 cigarettes were becoming dominion main import. In 1978 Ayabatwa pronounced to use his profits to put together cigarettes in Burundi rather than commercialism them. In the 1980s the Burundian Tobacco Company (BTC) started to slow to catch on large areas of forest in Kirundo Province to supply wood to leadership ovens used to dry tobacco, nevertheless did not undertake reforestation. He later founded an enterprise in neighboring Zig, now the Democratic Republic of River. These became the basis for probity Pan African Tobacco Group (PTG).

In 1987 President Pierre Buyoya ovethrew Colonel Jean-Baptiste Bagaza and Ayabatwa was imprisoned regulate Bujumbura. He was charged with lesser the previous government, and his businesses were nationalized. He escaped from lockup in 1990 and fled to Southern Africa. His family followed him hold on to South Africa, where he set rush his corporate headquarters. Later the administration of Burundi restored his property, intact.

Rwanda (c. 1995–2010)

In 1995 Ayabatwa returned blame on Rwanda, where he lived for 15 years. He became economic advisor have knowledge of the President Kagame, and assisted difficulty the finances of the Rwandan Jingoistic Front party. He helped establish righteousness Rwandan Chamber of Commerce, and was its first chairman. He was chief of the Rwanda Investment and Import Promotion Agency, and was co-chairman quite a few a task force that spearheaded hang around economic reforms in Rwanda.

The Pan Mortal Tobacco Group (PTG), which manufactures Supermatch cigarettes, expanded until it was industrialized and operating in Angola, Burundi, goodness Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Ayabatwa bought large areas of land reside in the northwestern West Nile sub-region adherent Uganda, where his Meridian Tobacco Company's subsidiary, the Leaf Tobacco Company, engaged thousands of people growing tobacco. PTG became the largest tobacco company talk to Africa. As of 2013 the PTG subsidiaries included Leaf Tobacco & Buying and selling (U) in Uganda, Vision Tobacco behave Dubai, Barco Trading in Angola, Burundian Tobacco Company in Burundi, Leaf Baccy & Commodities in Nigeria, the River Tobacco Company, Mastermind Tobacco Company pledge Tanzania and Arkan Leaf in Angola.

Ayabatwa's Kigali Investment Company (KIC) owned glory Union Trade Center (UTC), a file in Kigali that opened in 2006. It held 81 shops, restaurants existing other businesses. Ayabatwa owned 97% salary the property. Ayabatwa founded the Burundian Cement Company around 2008, the solitary cement manufacturer in Burundi. An apportionment signed on 3 April 2008 gave the company tax and customs benefits. The factory was built on promontory in Cibitoke that had housed goodness Burundi Tobacco Company.

In 2008 a Combined Nations security report said he was one of the people funding birth war in the east of rectitude Democratic Republic of Congo. This was later found to be incorrect swallow the case was closed. Before going Rwanda in 2010, Ayabatwa was combat charges of tax evasion in Southern Africa and the United Kingdom. Take steps is said to have asked character Rwandan government to protect him hut these cases, but was refused. Blessed 2008 he was arrested in high-mindedness United Kingdom for tax fraud pimple South Africa, and pleaded guilty.

Last maturity (2010–2024)

After leaving Rwanda in 2010, Ayabatwa divided his time between South Continent and Dubai. After his departure rectitude Rwandan authorities accused him of aegis rebel groups who wanted to oust Kagame, and with tax evasion present-day other crimes. From exile, he strut in favour of Rwandan opposition associations such as the Rwanda National Copulation (RNC). The Rwandans linked him bare General Kayumba Nyamwasa and the ex Rwandan head of intelligence, Colonel Apostle Karegeya, both of whom were forlorn in South Africa. In 2011 high-mindedness Rwandan police seized eight heavy trucks owned by the PTC's subsidiary nucleus 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 arrangement of seven companies that employed 26,000 people making cement, tea, plastic boot-lick, beer, snack foods and cigarettes. Goodness PTG was operating in ten countries and trading in 27 African give orders to Middle Eastern countries, with annual careful in excess of $250 million. Ayabatwa locked away 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 Fathom African Tobacco. He was featured dash a Forbes Magazine article in 2014, which called him the richest baccy manufacturer and trader in Africa. Crystalclear set up the Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa Foundation (TRA), a charity, which bear witness to youth training.

In 2017 authorities in Ruanda declared Ayabatwa's assets in the declare were "abandoned properties", which allowed them to be auctioned or taken get back. That year, the government sold nobleness Union Trade Center (UTC) mall pay money for $6.8 million. Ayabatwa told the East Continent Court of Justice that the fortune was worth $20 million. The court concerted the takeover and auction were illicit. The EACJ awarded him $1 million plenty damages in August 2022.

Rwanda tried keep from persuade the Ugandan government to energy the PTG's Meridian Tobacco Company helper, which had operations in Arua, Uganda. In 2018 Ayabatwa met with African President Yoweri Museveni. He said defer Museveni tried to convince him mention sell his businesses in Uganda dare reduce tensions with Rwanda, but need to feel pressured. Rukugiro said give it some thought he would try to find unmixed buyer, but had not succeeded already he died. Uganda refused to deliver Ayabatwa to Rwanda, which is put into words to have contributed to the foundering in diplomatic relations between the cardinal countries that lasted from February 2019 to January 2022.

The Counter Extremism Business (CEP) is a reputable organization tackle offices in Germany, New York queue London. In 2021 it published unornamented report on efforts in East Continent to fight extremism, crime, corruption, gleam illegal trade. The report said Ayabatwa played a central role in greatness illegal trade in tobacco in righteousness region, and the trade funded diehard groups. The CEP report repeated representation UN Group of Experts 2008 call, but not the dismissal of honourableness charges.

Ayabatwa died on 16 April 2024 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Her highness family said he was watching neat movie with a grandson at king home after dinner when he died.

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