Waziri wa zamani wa sheria Jamuhuri ya kidemokrasia Congo, Constant Mutamba, amehukumiwa kifungo cha miaka mitatu cha kazi ngumu kwa kosa la kufuja dola milioni 19 zilizotengwa kwa ujenzi wa gereza mjini Kisangani. Uamuzi huo umetolewa na Mahakama ya Rufaa (Court of Cassation), ambapo pia amepewa adhabu ya kutoruhusiwa kugombea nafasi yoyote ya kisiasa kwa kipindi cha miaka mitano baada ya kumaliza kifungo chake
Kesi hiyo ilisikilizwa jijini Kinshasa, mji mkuu wa DR Congo, ambapo hukumu ilisomwa siku ya Jumanne. Awali, uamuzi huo uliahirishwa kutokana na ghasia zilizozuka wiki iliyopita kati ya wafuasi wa Mutamba na polisi, wakipinga kukamatwa kwake. Mutamba alijiuzulu Juni mwaka huu baada ya tuhuma kuibuka, huku akikanusha madai yote
Mamlaka ya juu ya sheria nchini ilimruhusu Mwanasheria Mkuu kuendesha mashtaka dhidi ya Mutamba tangu Mei 2025, akihusishwa na ufujaji wa fedha za umma. Hii si mara ya kwanza kwa Mutamba kujihusisha na kesi nzito za kisiasa; mapema mwaka huu aliiunga mkono hatua ya kufungua mashitaka dhidi ya Rais wa zamani Joseph Kabila kuhusiana na madai ya ushirikiano na waasi wa M23
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A former justice minister in Congo was convicted for embezzling millions of dollars earmarked for a prison construction in the northern city of Kisangani and sentenced to three years forced labour on Tuesday, a court ruled
Supporters of the former minister, Constant Mutamba, have been protesting against the 37-year-old politician's arrest. Last week, clashes between activists and police in Congo's capital Kinshasa forced the court to postpone the verdict
Congo's attorney general was authorized in May to prosecute Mutamba, who served as minister in 2024 and 2025 under President Felix Tshisekedi. Mutamba announced his resignation in June over the case - involving the embezzlement of $19 million - while denying the accusations
The Court of Cassation, issuing the verdict and sentence, also barred Mutamba from standing for election for five years after serving his sentence, presiding judge Jacques Kabasele said
Earlier this year, Mutamba backed the launch of legal proceedings against former President Joseph Kabila over his alleged links to the M23 rebel group
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Source: TRT GLOBAL
Former Justice Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Constant Mutamba, has been sentenced to three years of forced labour for embezzling public funds, including reparations for war victims
Mutamba has also been barred from holding public office for five years.
The 37-year-old was found guilty of violating the rules in the awarding of a contract worth around $20 million to build a prison near the northeastern city of Kisangani.
The politician, who resigned on June 18 in the wake of the allegations, has claimed to be victim of a "political plot."
House arrest
As the ex-minister made his way to the hearing on Tuesday, the army and police were out in force around the Court of Cassation in the capital Kinshasa to prevent unrest among his supporters, AFP reporters saw.
On the eve of his hearing, Mutamba, who has been prevented from leaving Kinshasa since June, was placed under house arrest.
The court found Mutamba guilty of having sent $19.9 million to a company, Zion Construction SARL, without the government's greenlight.
Prosecutors previously said those millions came from a fund for Congolese victims of fighting between the Rwandan and Ugandan armies in 2000 during the Second Congo War.
Ordered to return funds
In Tuesday's ruling, Judge Jacques Kabasele found that Mutamba "had the intention to fraudulently enrich Zion Construction" at the "expense of the state", ordering him to return the lost millions.
Mutamba insisted he had "never taken a single dollar" from the treasury in his resignation letter in June.
Source: Reuters & TRT GLOBAL
Kesi hiyo ilisikilizwa jijini Kinshasa, mji mkuu wa DR Congo, ambapo hukumu ilisomwa siku ya Jumanne. Awali, uamuzi huo uliahirishwa kutokana na ghasia zilizozuka wiki iliyopita kati ya wafuasi wa Mutamba na polisi, wakipinga kukamatwa kwake. Mutamba alijiuzulu Juni mwaka huu baada ya tuhuma kuibuka, huku akikanusha madai yote
Mamlaka ya juu ya sheria nchini ilimruhusu Mwanasheria Mkuu kuendesha mashtaka dhidi ya Mutamba tangu Mei 2025, akihusishwa na ufujaji wa fedha za umma. Hii si mara ya kwanza kwa Mutamba kujihusisha na kesi nzito za kisiasa; mapema mwaka huu aliiunga mkono hatua ya kufungua mashitaka dhidi ya Rais wa zamani Joseph Kabila kuhusiana na madai ya ushirikiano na waasi wa M23
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A former justice minister in Congo was convicted for embezzling millions of dollars earmarked for a prison construction in the northern city of Kisangani and sentenced to three years forced labour on Tuesday, a court ruled
Supporters of the former minister, Constant Mutamba, have been protesting against the 37-year-old politician's arrest. Last week, clashes between activists and police in Congo's capital Kinshasa forced the court to postpone the verdict
Congo's attorney general was authorized in May to prosecute Mutamba, who served as minister in 2024 and 2025 under President Felix Tshisekedi. Mutamba announced his resignation in June over the case - involving the embezzlement of $19 million - while denying the accusations
The Court of Cassation, issuing the verdict and sentence, also barred Mutamba from standing for election for five years after serving his sentence, presiding judge Jacques Kabasele said
Earlier this year, Mutamba backed the launch of legal proceedings against former President Joseph Kabila over his alleged links to the M23 rebel group
---------------------------
Source: TRT GLOBAL
Former Justice Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Constant Mutamba, has been sentenced to three years of forced labour for embezzling public funds, including reparations for war victims
Mutamba has also been barred from holding public office for five years.
The 37-year-old was found guilty of violating the rules in the awarding of a contract worth around $20 million to build a prison near the northeastern city of Kisangani.
The politician, who resigned on June 18 in the wake of the allegations, has claimed to be victim of a "political plot."
House arrest
As the ex-minister made his way to the hearing on Tuesday, the army and police were out in force around the Court of Cassation in the capital Kinshasa to prevent unrest among his supporters, AFP reporters saw.
On the eve of his hearing, Mutamba, who has been prevented from leaving Kinshasa since June, was placed under house arrest.
The court found Mutamba guilty of having sent $19.9 million to a company, Zion Construction SARL, without the government's greenlight.
Prosecutors previously said those millions came from a fund for Congolese victims of fighting between the Rwandan and Ugandan armies in 2000 during the Second Congo War.
Ordered to return funds
In Tuesday's ruling, Judge Jacques Kabasele found that Mutamba "had the intention to fraudulently enrich Zion Construction" at the "expense of the state", ordering him to return the lost millions.
Mutamba insisted he had "never taken a single dollar" from the treasury in his resignation letter in June.
Source: Reuters & TRT GLOBAL
