Platini Rejects Divorce Agreement with His Wife. Platini Nemeye, a renowned artist and songwriter popularly known as Platini, has publicly stated that he has not agreed to a permanent divorce with his wife, Olivia Ingabire.
Denial of Divorce Rumors
On Friday, June 28, 2024, Platini took to his Instagram account to deny rumors suggesting that he and his wife had agreed to divorce. He called these reports baseless rumors.
Continuing Career Despite Challenges
Platini, formerly a member of the Dream Boys group and now pursuing a solo music career, emphasized that despite the ongoing situation, nothing would stop him from progressing. However, he mentioned the need for a break.
Legal Framework for Divorce
According to Article 194 of Law No. 32/2016 of August 28, 2016, governing persons and family in Rwanda, a petition for irrevocable annulment of marriage can be filed by one of the spouses or any other interested party. Article 195 states that a marriage annulled irrevocably is considered never to have existed from the day the marriage contract was signed. However, annulment does not affect the rights of children born within that marriage, and the court decides on their custody similarly to divorce cases.
Details of the Case
Speculation arose when copies of the court case surfaced, showing that Platini filed a petition at the Nyamata Primary Court on January 11, 2024, which was received on January 15, 2024. The Nyamata Primary Court has jurisdiction over the case based on Article 219 of Law No. 32/2016 since Platini and Ingabire last resided in Kanzenze, Ntarama Sector, Bugesera District, which falls under this court’s jurisdiction.
Property Agreement
Additionally, the house located on plot UPI 5/07/09/02/3879 in Karugenge Village, Kanzenze Cell, Ntarama Sector, Bugesera District, Eastern Province, became Platini’s property as agreed. Both parties also agreed that no compensation would be provided in this case, as they reached an agreement based on their signed separation contract.
Court Proceedings
On Thursday, June 27, 2024, both parties began substantive court hearings. A lawyer informed InyaRwanda, the news source for this article, that when parties start substantive hearings, the court requires both to confirm their divorce agreement before the court, after which the court will take time to issue a final decision.
Representation by a Single Lawyer
The court documents indicate that both Platini and Ingabire were represented by the same lawyer, Habakurama Francois Xavier. Another lawyer mentioned that having a single lawyer indicates mutual agreement on the divorce, hence the shared legal representation. Usually, in contentious divorces, each party has separate legal representation.
Increasing Divorce Rates
Statistics from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda show that in 2019, the number of divorces reached 8,941, up from 1,331 in 2018, indicating a 6.8-fold increase in just one year. Furthermore, the Rwanda Judiciary’s report for the year 2022/2023 revealed that Rwandan courts confirmed 3,075 divorces for legally married couples.
