Rwanda is withholding passports and other government services from thousands of people who owe the state about $7.7 million in unpaid court fines, a policy officials say is meant to recover public money, but which critics warn could stop debtors from working abroad to repay what they owe.
The Ministry of Justice said it is pursuing 4,698 defaulters whose debts are either a result of court cases they lost, including legal penalties, or other fines payable to the government.
