The court case involving former Prime Minister Matata Ponyo continues to cause turmoil in the Democratic Republic of Congo. While the Constitutional Court had initially declared its incompetence to judge him, a new request from the Attorney General of the Republic led to the fixing of a hearing date.
But this case is now taking an unexpected turn with the involvement of Déogratias Mutombo, former Governor of the Central Bank of Congo. He will also be prosecuted in this case, alongside Matata Ponyo and Christo Grobler.
The offenses with which they are charged are serious. These include embezzlement, the granting of financial advantages, over-invoicing and the establishment of front companies. According to the charges, more than 115 million US dollars were embezzled.
In addition, Matata Ponyo and Deogratias Mutombo are also accused of having embezzled the sum of 89 million dollars intended for the construction of the international market in Kinshasa.
The former Prime Minister defends himself and denounces a cavalier procedure aimed at eliminating him from the presidential race of 2023. He considers that the Constitutional Court, by declaring itself incompetent, had already ruled that he should not be prosecuted.
This court case is shaking the country and raises many questions about the management of public funds in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It highlights the need to fight against corruption and embezzlement that hinder the development of the country.
It is now up to the Constitutional Court to judge whether or not the defendants are guilty and to render justice in this case. Hoping that this serves as a warning to all those who would be tempted to engage in fraudulent practices to the detriment of the Congolese people