{"id":149425,"date":"2025-09-04T10:44:58","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T08:44:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/?p=149425"},"modified":"2025-09-04T10:45:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T08:45:00","slug":"drc-justice-minister-caught-by-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/149425-drc-justice-minister-caught-by-law.html","title":{"rendered":"DRC: the justice minister caught by the law"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The trial of DRC\u2019s former justice minister Constant Mutamba ended on Tuesday, 2 September, with his sentencing to three years of hard labor for embezzling public funds \u2013 19.9 million US dollars \u2013 paid by Uganda to compensate war victims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Forced to resign in mid-June, Constant Mutamba had said he was ready to face justice, rejecting all the charges against him. According to the public prosecutor, the former minister of justice was guilty of illegally transferring funds, failing to comply with public procurement procedures, and awarding a contract to a \u201cfront\u201d company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the opening of the trial on July 9, the defense had attempted to have the proceedings annulled, citing irregularities on the part of the national assembly: the authorization to open an investigation, which is necessary for a sitting minister, had been voted on by a show of hands, whereas the rules require a secret ballot. Also, \u201cthe person subject to the proceedings must be heard before the vote to present their defense. Our client received the invitation on the very day he was due to appear. He was in hospital\u201d, one of the lawyers pointed out. But these arguments were deemed \u201cunfounded\u201d by the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mutamba proclaims his innocence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI agreed to face this reality to prove my innocence... The $19 million for which I am being prosecuted are indeed in the bank as I stand before this court. Justice minister Constant Mutamba never took a single US dollar,\u201d he said, speaking of himself in the third person, in a firm tone, at the 23 July hearing before the court of cassation in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in charge of judging him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regarding the awarding of the private contract to Zion Construction, which is at the heart of the case, Mutamba states: the Prime Minister\u2019s silence for more than ten days after submitting his request for approval of the agreement with the company constitutes authorisation in his view. \u201cThe approving authority has ten days to approve the contract from the moment you submit your request. If, within ten days, the approving authority has not given its approval, the logical consequence is that the contract is tacitly approved,\u201d confirmed Christian Kalume, an expert from the public procurement regulatory authority called to testify at the trial on 4 August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scandal began on 16 April 2025, as a payment order from Mutamba transferred $19.9 million from the account of the Fund for the reparation of victims of Uganda\u2019s illegal activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Frivao)<\/a> to an account other than the one mentioned in the procurement contract signed two days earlier between the ministry of justice and Zion Construction. The suspicious transaction was detected on the same day by Cenaref, the national financial intelligence unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A political trial?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mutamba is convinced that he is facing a political trial. He has repeated this on several occasions and mentioned it in his letter of resignation addressed to president F\u00e9lix Tshisekedi on 18 June. He did not hesitate to insinuate this during his often tense statements before the court of cassation. \u201cI am not here to receive threats. If this is a conspiracy, go ahead and carry it out. I will take full responsibility,\u201d he said at the hearing on 4 August. \u201cThis justice system that I have served with so much love has taken everything from me: my honour, my credibility, my dignity...,\u201d he lamented on 13 August, at the end of the closing arguments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On social networks, supporters of the 37-year-old minister have launched a campaign called \u201cAcquit Mutamba\u201d. Vigils are being held at his residence. Several people are stopping by to comfort him. Songs of support for the young Mutamba can be heard there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Testimony of another former minister of justice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In his defence, Mutamba has requested the appearance of several prominent figures: the executive secretary of the national financial intelligence unit (Cenaref), the general director of the one-stop shop for business creation, the former minister of justice and even the current prime minister, Judith Suminwa. On 6 August, the latter asked the court to excuse her from appearing for \u201creasons of state\u201d, explained judge Jacques Kabasele Nzembele. The executive secretary of Cenaref also did not wish to testify.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Rose Mutombo, former minister of justice, did appear at the hearing on 6 August. She discussed the distribution of funds paid by Uganda since 2022<\/a>. A large part, she explained, goes to the Frivao account and another part to the government account [in accordance with the ruling of the International Court of Justice]. Both accounts were opened before she took office as minister of justice, she said. \u201cWhen the money from Uganda arrives in the ministry of justice\u2019s account, the victims\u2019 share is then transferred to Frivao\u2019s account,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\t

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As for professor Amisi Herady, director of the one-stop shop for business creation, he explained that Zion Construction was indeed created on 28 March 2024 and that its first partners \u2013 against whom a search warrant has been issued \u2013 had sold their shares before the contract with the ministry of justice, the supervisory authority of Frivao, was signed on 14 April 2025, for the construction of a prison in Kisangani, the provincial capital of Tshopo in north-eastern DRC, and the scene of the \u201csix-day war\u201d between the Rwandan and Ugandan armies in June 2000. \u201cWe are not in a position to confirm the viability or reliability of a company. But what we are able to confirm is its legal existence,\u201d added Herady.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other eagerly awaited intervention was that of Rawbank, where the $19.9 million paid by Frivao are currently held. The testimony of a bank official contradicts Mutamba\u2019s statement that the money is in an escrow account, meaning a bank account specially designated to hold funds temporarily, pending a further decision. \u201cAt Rawbank, there is a customer with a current account in the name of Zion Construction SARL, number 25101-01145175001-47 USD, opened in the ledger,\u201d said Herv\u00e9 Sesongo, the bank\u2019s representative who testified at the trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To date, \u201cZion Construction cannot access this account because there are protective measures in place, notably by Cenaref and the public prosecutor\u201ds office,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10 years of hard labour requested by the prosecution<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After six days of hearings, the Court of Cassation concluded the proceedings on 13 August. In his closing speech, advocate general Sylvain Kalwila requested 10 years of hard labour and 10 years of ineligibility, with deprivation of access to public office after serving his sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The public prosecutor, who described the defendant Mutamba as a \u201cdelinquent\u201d, highlighted several points in his closing speech: in particular, the use of a private agreement procedure, the former minister\u2019s decision to exclude certain technical and legal services, the execution of the contract without obtaining a notice of no objection, and the fictitious nature of the company, which has no registered office, no staff and no bank guarantee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe defendant, whom the public prosecutor presents as a criminal, is curently seen as a representative of the youth within the political class,\u201d the defence retorted in its closing arguments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guilty of embezzlement of public funds<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On Tuesday, 2 September, for the pronouncement of the verdict, the court of cassation was placed under high security to prevent any potential unrest from Mutamba\u2019s supporters. Mutamba appeared at the hearing wearing a navy blue tracksuit and a surgical mask covering his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In its ruling<\/a>, the court of cassation found that \u201cthe repeated violations of procedural rules and the haste in awarding the contract were intended to divert state funds to fraudulently enrich the company Zion Construction\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consequently, the former minister was found guilty of embezzlement of public funds and sentenced to three years\u201d of forced labour, generally converted into prison sentences in the DRC, as forced labour is no longer practised. The court also sentenced him to a five years disqualification from voting and from holding public office as well as ineligibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mutamba left the court of cassation with his fist raised, without any comment. As the court of cassation sits in both first and second instance, Mutamba has no possibility of appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Recommended reading<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t
\"Scandal<\/div><\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tDRC victims\u2019 fund hit by scandal\r\n\t\t<\/a>\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The trial of DRC\u2019s former justice minister Constant Mutamba ended on Tuesday, 2 September, with his sentencing to three years of hard labor for embezzling public funds \u2013 19.9 million US dollars \u2013 paid by Uganda to compensate war victims.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":149417,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[566,544],"tags":[2772],"ji_location":[2197],"class_list":["post-149425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-tribunals","category-reparations","tag-judgment","ji_location-democratic-republic-of-congo"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDRC: the minister and the money of war victims<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The trial of DRC\u2019s former justice minister Constant Mutamba ended on Tuesday, 2 September, with his sentencing to three years of hard 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