DRC: Former Justice Minister Mutamba sentenced to 3 years of forced labor

The Court of Cassation of the Democratic Republic of Congo has sentenced Constant Mutamba, former Minister of Justice, to three years of forced labor. The verdict, delivered on Tuesday, September 2, also bans him from voting or standing in elections for five years. Mutamba was found guilty of embezzling \$19 million allocated for the construction of a prison in Kisangani. He was barred from holding any public office and ordered to return the embezzled funds. “The Court of Cassation declares the offense of embezzlement of public funds against the defendant, Constant Mutamba, established. He

The Court of Cassation of the Democratic Republic of Congo has sentenced Constant Mutamba, former Minister of Justice, to three years of forced labor. The verdict, delivered on Tuesday, September 2, also bans him from voting or standing in elections for five years. Mutamba was found guilty of embezzling \$19 million allocated for the construction of a prison in Kisangani. He was barred from holding any public office and ordered to return the embezzled funds. “The Court of Cassation declares the offense of embezzlement of public funds against the defendant, Constant Mutamba, established. He is sentenced to three years of forced labor, a five-year ban on voting and being elected after serving his sentence, exclusion from public and parastatal functions at any level, and deprivation of parole. The Court orders the lifting of the seizure, restitution of the $19 million, and payment of court costs,” announced Judge Jacques Kabasele, presiding. The prosecution had sought a ten-year sentence, along with a ban on access to public and parastatal positions and the suspension of electoral rights for a period to be determined after the sentence. Despite denying the charges throughout his trial, Mutamba was found guilty of misappropriating funds intended for prison construction. The Court ruled that he acted “with the intention of illicitly enriching the company Zion Construction, while deliberately embezzling funds and using non-compliant procedures.