News: Resignation demanded for the Beni prosecutor, a call from civil society
In a statement addressed to Radio Okapi, civil society/Forces vives, the Urban Youth Council and the NGO Convention for the Defense of Human Rights (CRDH) demanded the immediate departure of the public prosecutor near the Beni High Court, Philippe Majiko Itumbo.
These civil society organizations accuse the prosecutor of having inappropriate and illegal behavior towards the population of Beni. They mention in particular arbitrary arrests carried out with the aim of enriching themselves and denounce the fact that the prosecutor rarely attends public court hearings, which contributes to further impoverishing a population already strongly affected by the consequences of the war.
Prosecutor Philippe Majiko, for his part, refutes these accusations and affirms that these organizations seek to obstruct his investigation into a mafia money laundering network involving Somalis. According to him, certain economic operators in the region are complicit in this network and oppose the action of the prosecution to allow these Somalis to operate with complete impunity.
In addition to money laundering, the prosecutor also suspects the financing of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. He emphasizes that the role of the prosecution is to enforce not only the laws, but also the ordinances and decrees.
Faced with these accusations and counter-accusations, civil society organizations are demanding the return of misappropriated property, the release of those arbitrarily arrested and the opening of disciplinary proceedings against the prosecutor.
The situation in Beni once again highlights the challenges facing many justice systems around the world. Public trust in the judiciary is essential to ensuring justice and respect for human rights. Thorough and transparent investigations are therefore essential to resolve these issues and restore public confidence. The resignation requested by civil society could be a first step towards resolving this difficult situation.