Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) has suspended its Commissioner for Customs Services over corruption allegations.

Mr Raphael Tugirumuremyi was suspended in mid-January after an internal audit indicated that he is culpable of graft.

Police and RRA sources confirmed to The EastAfrican his suspension, which had not been made public, saying he is currently under police investigation for financial malpractices.

The sources however declined to reveal details of the graft allegations that Mr Tugirumuremyi is facing.

In recent years, the tax authority has seen a surge in the number of staff dismissed over malpractices. Last year, 13 employees were blacklisted by the Labour Ministry for misconduct up from five workers who had been let go a year earlier.

In an interview with The EastAfrican on Wednesday, RRA Commissioner Richard Tusabe said the decision to send away staff follows the taxman’s zero tolerance to corruption policy as it aims to build trust with taxpayers.

“He [Mr Tugirumuremyi] is not the only one; we carry out internal investigations and suspend workers who we find to be involved in any illegal act and corruption. We make reports on this every year,” he told The EastAfrican.

“When they are cleared and found innocent, they are allowed back to work. But when they are found guilty, they are indefinitely suspended and sometimes even arrested. We do not compromise with such issues because our integrity matters,” Mr Tusabe added.

Mr Tugirumuremyi joined RRA in 2008 as a junior officer and rose through the ranks to become the head of the Customs Services in 2013 in charge of collecting millions of dollars from taxes levied on imports.

Many of the taxman’s workers who have been fired or even jailed were found to have demanded or received bribes for a lower tax assessment or waver and aiding in tax evasion.

Mr Tusabe said in addition to internal probes to curb graft practices, the taxman will also rely on the regional electronic cargo tracking system at points of entry that was commissioned last March.

He said surveillance cameras will also be installed in all border posts to monitor cargo movement.

Landlocked Rwanda is ranked the least corrupt in the East African region.

According to anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International, the Uganda Revenue Authority is the most corrupt among the tax authorities in the East African Community followed by Kenya, Tanzania and Burundi in that order.