Rwandan Singer Bruce Melodie Arrested in Burundi over Fraud

Shortly after arriving in Burundi for a music concert, Rwandan leading singer Bruce Melody was thrown behind the bars On Fraud Allegations.

According to reports, both Uniformed and plainclothes police stopped the musician’s car as he made his way from the airport to Burundi’s economic capital Bujumbura on Wednesday evening.

“Bruce Melodie is in custody, under investigation for fraud”, the interior ministry said on Twitter, without elaborating.

The arrest of the Rwandan star, who was due to hold two concerts in Burundi on Thursday and Friday, was in connection with the cancellation of performances in 2018 and 2021.

The interior ministry had cancelled the concerts at the last minute, first due to a diplomatic crisis between Rwanda and Burundi and the second time because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“One of (the concert) promoters, Toussaint Niyukuri, filed a complaint with the police and demanded that the Rwandan singer reimburse a deposit of $2,000 which he had paid to him at the time,” a relative of the musician told AFP on condition of anonymity.