on of a civil action as an accessory to the criminal action (constitution de la

Question

partie civile): in this case, the person aggrieved by the offense, also known as a civil
party, files the civil action claiming damages before the criminal court in which the
criminal action was already instituted. This action is instituted alongside the criminal
action lodged by the public prosecution.
- The complainant may directly seize the court (citation directe): the complainant,
without getting support from the public prosecution, brings his/her criminal action
before the criminal court. In this case, he/she files the criminal action to seek redress
for damages arising from the offense committed against him/her. It should be noted
that it is not up to the complainant to request punishment for the accused as the public
prosecutor who has exclusive powers in criminal cases, should take up the case.
- The civil action can also be filed in front of civil courts: the person aggrieved by the
offense, without getting support from the Public prosecutor, may directly institute
his/her civil action in front of civil courts on the grounds of tort liability by virtue of
which any person whose action causes prejudice has the legal duty to redress the
damages caused by his/her action (art. 258 CCBIII).
In this case, where the civil action is filed separately, proceedings of civil action are kept
in abeyance as long as the criminal case has not been finally determined whether the criminal
proceedings were instituted before or in the course of the criminal proceedings (le criminal tient
le civil en état).
The principle that the civil action must stay for the decision of a criminal Court is
respected if the criminal case was filed before the civil suit if the criminal case was filed during
the proceedings of a civil suit, and finally, if during civil proceedings, there arises a criminal
incidental proceeding. In the latter case, the judge who hears the civil suit shall also try that
criminal incidental proceeding. Note that a Criminal claim cannot cause a stay of a civil claim if
they are not interconnected.
2) Extinction of civil action
The abandonment of civil action by the civil party is not an obstacle to the institution of
criminal action against the offender. According to the Code of Criminal Procedure, a civil
action arising from a criminal offense becomes time-barred after five years from when the
offense was committed. However, if the prescription of a civil action precedes the prescription of
a criminal action, a civil action becomes time-barred simultaneously as that of the criminal
offense.
A civil action cannot be brought before a criminal court after the prescription of a
criminal case. However, when a criminal court has been seized with civil actions, it can, when
there is sound prosecution evidence, proceed with its trial if the criminal action has been time-translete in kinyarwanda

Answer 1

N'ijambo ry'amategeko, uburyo bwo gutanga ikirego cya gisivili nk'igice cyo mu rubanza rw'ibyaha (constitution de la partie civile): muri iki gihe, umuntu wagirijwe icyaha, uzwi nka "igice gisivili," atanga ikirego cya gisivili asaba indishyi mu rukiko rw'ibyaha aho ikirego cy'ibyaha cyamaze gushyirwa. Iyi ngingo ikorwa hamwe n'ikirego cy'ibyaha cyatanzwe n'ubushinjacyaha.

• Umugabo/umugore wamaganira icyaha ashobora gufata inzira yo kugana urukiko (citation directe): umugabo/umugore, adafite inkunga y'ubushinjacyaha, azana ikirego cye cy'ibyaha mu rukiko rw'ibyaha. Muri ubu buryo, atanga ikirego cya gisivili asaba indishyi ku byangiritse byabaye ku gikorwa cyamugiriyeho ingaruka. Birakwiye kumenya ko bitari mu nshingano z'uyu mugabo/umugore gusaba igihano ku wa nyir'icyaha, kuko ubushinjacyaha ari bwo bufite ububasha bwihariye mu manza z'ibyaha.

• Ikirego cya gisivili gishobora no gutangirwa mu nkiko zisivili: umuntu wagirijwe icyaha, adafite inkunga y'ubushinjacyaha, ashobora kwinjiza ikirego cye cya gisivili mu nkiko zisivili ku mpamvu z'ibyangiriye, mu buryo bw’uko umuntu wese ugira icyo akora gitera ibibazo afite inshingano yo kwishyura ibyangiritse byaturutse ku gikorwa cye (art. 258 CCBIII). Muri iki gihe, aho ikirego cya gisivili gitangijwe byihariye, kugira ngo ibikorwa bya gisivili bizatindwe byibuze kugeza igihe urubanza rw'ibyaha rwakomeje guhabwa umwanzuro, haba ku byaha byabaye mbere yo gutangiza urubanza rwa gisivili cyangwa mu gihe cy'ubukangurambaga bwa gisivili (le criminal tient le civil en état).

Itegeko ryo gukurikiza ko ikirego cya gisivili kigomba gusubikwa mu mwanzuro w'urukiko rw'ibyaha rikorwa respecté niba urubanza rw'ibyaha rwari rwatangijwe mbere y'ikirego cya gisivili, iyo urubanza rw'ibyaha rwari rwatangijwe mu gihe cy'ikirego cya gisivili, kandi mu gihe cy'ubukangurambaga bwa gisivili, habayeho igikorwa cy'ibyaha bijyanye. Muri icyo gihe, umucamanza ufatiye ku rubanza rwa gisivili azasuzuma kandi icyo gikorwa cy'ibyaha. Icyitonderwa ni uko ikirego cy'ibyaha kitashobora gutera igihombo ku kirego cya gisivili igihe ibyo byaha bitajyanye.

2. Guhagarika ikirego cya gisivili Kwicara kunkunga y’ ikirego cya gisivili n’uwemera bitabangamira ikirego cy’icyaha ku uwo wakoze icyaha. Nk'uko biteganywa n'Itegeko Ngenga ryo mu Kinyarwanda, ikirego cya gisivili kivuye ku cyaha kizamara imyaka itanu kuva icyaha cyakozwe. Ariko, niba igihe gihamarara cy'ikirego cya gisivili kiruta igihe cy'ikirego cy'ibyaha, ikirego cya gisivili kizahagarara mu gihe kimwe n'ikirego cy'ibyaha.

Ikirego cya gisivili nticyashobora gutangizwa mu rukiko rw'ibyaha nyuma y'igihe cy'ikirego cy’icyaha. Ariko, igihe urukiko rw'ibyaha rwafatiye ku nkuru za gisivili, rishobora, igihe hari ibisubizo by'ukuri, gukomeza ku isuzuma ryayo niba ikirego cy'ibyaha cyarakozwe.