The case of deputy Édouard Mwangachuchu continues to animate the debates. A new hearing is scheduled for Friday July 14 at the High Military Court, which sits at the Ndolo military prison, to examine a key element of the accusation: the question of Mwangachuchu’s nationality.
Mwangachuchu’s lawyers have insisted that their client is of Congolese nationality, despite misleading indications of a COVID test carried out in Rwanda. According to the defense, the test would have mentioned the Rwandan nationality of Mwangachuchu based on criteria such as his physical appearance and his command of the Kinyarwanda language. The lawyers recall that 80% of people being tested in Rwanda are Rwandan, which could explain this administrative confusion.
The internal contradictions of the documents presented as evidence were also raised by the defense. The lawyers pointed out that a document from the same institution may contain contradictory elements, which calls into question their probative value. They therefore challenged the validity of this evidence in the trial.
The High Military Court has clarified that its role is not to rule on the question of nationality, but to judge Mwangachuchu as a Congolese national deputy. The charges against him and his co-defendant are serious, ranging from treason to participation in an insurrectionary movement, including espionage and illegal possession of weapons of war.
This case began with the discovery of weapons of war in the residence of Mwangachuchu in Kinshasa and in the premises of his company in Masisi, in North Kivu. These discoveries have fueled suspicions about his links with the M23 rebels.
This Friday’s hearing should therefore bring new clarifications on this question of nationality and perhaps make it possible to move forward in the case. A case that arouses great interest and continues to divide Congolese public opinion.
It is important to emphasize that this article presents only an overview of the events and does not take sides. It is essential to wait for the conclusions of the hearing and the decisions of the High Military Court before drawing any definitive conclusions. The Mwangachuchu case remains open for the moment and raises many questions