Article: The soap opera of the hostage taking of Claudine Masamba’s inheritance by her brothers: an ongoing dispute
Since December 2022, the Tribunal de Grande Instance of Kinshasa / Matete has been the scene of a real judicial soap opera. Claudine Masamba finds herself taken hostage by her own brothers in an inheritance case that doesn’t seem to want to be resolved. Despite successive postponements and multiple delaying maneuvers, the file is not progressing and the discussions on the merits seem to be blocked.
It all started when Claudine denounced the illicit sale of an estate property in 2022. It is a plot located at number 1283 avenue de la Poste, in the residential district of the municipality of Limete. His six brothers, all heirs of their father Simon Masamba Makela, famous promoter of the Masamba Schools in Kinshasa since the 1970s, sold this plot for the sum of 700,000 US dollars. However, this sale turned out to be fraudulent, based on false documents such as a “Sales Agreement Protocol” and a “Sales Compromise”. Claudine therefore decided to take the matter to court in order to restore her heir rights to this sale and to be able to get out of joint ownership.
Unfortunately, during the hearing on December 23, 2022, it was revealed that his brothers residing abroad had not been informed of the procedure. A regularization of the meaning was therefore necessary. But even after this regularization, new surprises appeared during the hearing of April 18, 2023. Remy Masamba claimed not to have been regularly seized, arguing that he resided in Gombe and not in Kinshasa. This resulted in a new obstacle to the procedure and required redoing certain acts.
However, despite the progress of the procedure and the seizures made, the defendant presented a notice of appeal from the Court of Appeal of Kinshasa / Matete during the hearing of July 18, 2023. This notice calls into question the seizure of brother Alidor Masamba and affirms that he was never duly seized by the court. This appeal action is in violation of the circular which prohibits any appeal action during the procedure.
Claudine Masamba denounces these delaying maneuvers and is convinced that her brothers are trying to block her exit from joint ownership for reasons beyond her control. She also accuses a dark hand that would be at work to keep the situation in suspense. It has also contacted the competent authorities to inform them of this unjust situation. She fears that her brothers will seek to sell off all the property of the Masamba estate for their sole benefit.
This scandal is far from honoring the memory of the venerable patriarch Simon Masamba Makela, whose reputation has crossed national borders for many years. Claudine Masamba is disgusted by this situation and hopes to be able to get out of joint ownership in order to preserve her father’s legacy.
This family dispute highlights the difficulties some people face when it comes to protecting their inheritance rights. It also emphasizes the importance of transparency and honesty in the management of family assets. The Claudine Masamba case is a reminder of the need to reform the inheritance system in order to guarantee a fair distribution of property and prevent family conflicts.
In conclusion, it is regrettable to note that Claudine Masamba’s file remains blocked despite the efforts undertaken to assert her rights as an heiress. Let’s hope that justice can quickly intervene to resolve this dispute and allow Claudine to get out of joint ownership and preserve the legacy of her father Simo Masamba Makela. It is important that this case serves as a lesson and contributes to improving the protection of the rights of heirs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo