The High Military Court recently considered a case that received a lot of media attention. Indeed, two documents of Covid test results presented to the court have cast doubt on the nationality of the defendant, Édouard Mwangachuchu. These documents indicate different nationalities for Mwangachuchu during Covid tests carried out in Rwanda.
According to the results verified on the Rwanda biomedical center (RBC) website, the defendant presented himself as a Rwandan subject during a test carried out on May 28, 2021. However, the defense presented another document showing that Mwangachuchu s was identified as Congolese in a test taken on May 27, 2021. These discrepancies as to his nationality have raised questions about the possibility of espionage or treason, given that Mwangachuchu is a Congolese national deputy.
The defense argues that Mwangachuchu only possesses Congolese passports and that no foreign passports were discovered during searches of his residences. The High Military Court therefore decided to continue examining the case in order to clarify this question of nationality.
This case is part of a broader context, since Mwangachuchu and his co-defendant are also suspected of having links with the M23 rebels. They face charges of treason, participation in an insurrectionary movement, espionage and illegal possession of weapons of war. These accusations were made following the discovery of weapons of war in the residence of Mwangachuchu in Kinshasa and in the premises of his company SMB in Masisi, in North Kivu.
The case has been adjourned for a further hearing, set for Friday July 14, where the High Military Court will continue to review the case and attempt to clarify the issue of Mwangachuchu’s nationality.
It is important to stress that this information is based on preliminary facts and that the case is still under investigation. We should therefore wait for future developments before drawing any definitive conclusions.