The case involving MP Edouard Mwangachuchu continues to attract attention within the High Military Court. A new hearing is scheduled for Friday, July 14 at the Ndolo military prison. At the heart of this case is the question of the nationality of the defendant.
According to Mwangachuchu’s lawyers, an error was made during the Covid test conducted by the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC). Indeed, the test indicates that Mwangachuchu has a Rwandan nationality, while his lawyers claim that he is Congolese. They argue that this error is due to default settings in the computer used for the test, which is configured in Kinyarwanda. They also point out that the fact that Mwangachuchu speaks Kinyarwanda should not be proof of his Rwandan nationality, as many Congolese also speak this language.
Mwangachuchu’s defense insists that this error calls into question the reliability of the evidence presented. According to them, when documents from the same institution show inconsistencies and contradictions, they cannot be considered reliable evidence.
The High Military Court will therefore have to examine this issue of the Covid test during the hearing on Friday. It is important to note that the court has already clarified that it was not ruling on the question of nationality, but rather on the charges of treason, participation in an insurrectionary movement, espionage and illegal possession of weapons of war brought against Edouard Mwangachuchu and his co-defendant.
The Mwangachuchu affair, which is linked to suspicions of links with the M23 rebels, was sparked following the discovery of weapons of war in Mwangachuchu’s residence in Kinshasa and in the premises of his company SMB in Masisi, North Kivu.
It now remains for the High Military Court to decide on this question of nationality and to decide on the charges brought against Edouard Mwangachuchu and his co-defendant. The outcome of this case is eagerly awaited, as it could have a significant impact on the Congolese political scene