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The province of Mai-Ndombe, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has faced a paralysis of justice for almost two years. It all started with the attack on the Attorney General at the Court of Appeal, which resulted in his jaw fracture. The magistrates preferred to leave the province, no longer feeling safe.
The bishop of the diocese of Inongo, Monsignor Donatien Bafwidinsoni, spoke out on this situation, pointing the finger at the provincial deputies. Indeed, the latter have twice rejected the request of the Attorney General to the Court of Cassation to prosecute Vice-Governor Jack’s Mbombaka, considered to be the intellectual author of the attack.
Monsignor Donatien Bafwidinsoni accuses the provincial deputies of having acted out of pecuniary interest and of having obstructed justice. He deplores their behavior contrary to their oath to defend the just causes of the people they represent.
The non-functioning of justice in the province of Mai-Ndombe exposes the population to arbitrariness. The magistrates condition their return to the holding of a trial for the perpetrators of the aggression as well as the improvement of their working conditions.
In May 2021, Attorney General Willy Nzoko was attacked at his home, fracturing his jaw. A group of young people belonging to the “Lokambe social” group had caused material and physical damage.
The situation is all the more worrying as the provincial assembly has twice dismissed the charges against Vice-Governor Jack’s Mbombaka, leaving the alleged perpetrator of the attack unpunished.
This paralysis of justice in the province of Mai-Ndombe raises questions about the rule of law and access to justice for the population. Solving this problem is essential to restore trust in the institutions and guarantee legal certainty for all.
It is time for the authorities to take concrete measures to ensure the proper functioning of justice in the province of Mai-Ndombe and put an end to impunity