The DRC has just approved the bill amending and supplementing the Congolese Penal Code, which dates from 1940. This initiative, which was initiated by MP Pasi Zapamba Buka Jean-Pierre, is an important response to a legislative vacuum linked to the fixing of the penalties applied to the offenses defined by the uniform acts relating to Ohada, which the DR Congo has ratified since 2012.
The Political, Administrative and Legal Commission (PAJ) underlined the importance of this proposal and set a deadline of 48 hours for the deputies to table their amendments. The PAJ will then have 72 hours to read them and integrate them into the final report.
Mr. Zapamba Buka Jean-Pierre’s bill provides for harsher penalties for “grand corruption”, particularly practiced by leaders. It also has the advantage of establishing imprescriptibility of legal proceedings for the corrupt and the corrupter, as well as for the heirs for a prescriptive period of ten years after the death of the suspect.
The repression of corruption is a crucial issue for the DR Congo, which wishes to give itself the means to fight effectively against this destructive practice. The severe penalties provided for by the proposed law will make it clear to leaders that they will now have to be held accountable for their actions.
The setting of penalties is an important step in this fight, but it is certain that it will also be necessary to improve regulation, transparency and ethics in the political and social life of the country. This is one of the tracks that the government is pursuing to improve the lives of citizens and restore the image of the DR Congo on the international level.