News – Lifting of immunities of the president of the provincial assembly of Kasaï-Central for alleged misappropriation of property
In a decision that caused a lot of noise, the office of the provincial assembly of Kasaï-Central decided to lift the immunities of the president of this deliberative body, Stéphane Mbambi. The latter is accused of alleged misappropriation of the property of the provincial institution.
The decision, contained in a document signed by the members of the office, aims to allow the competent judicial authorities to conduct an in-depth investigation into the allegations of embezzlement weighing on the president of the provincial assembly.
According to the document, the suspected misappropriated goods include chairs, batteries, solar panels, converters and curtains, with an estimated value as of January 11 this year.
The office of the provincial assembly also accuses other executives and agents of the institution of complicity in this affair, in particular the head of the public relations, human resources and stewardship division, as well as the person in charge of equipment.
According to the members of the office, President Mbambi would have proceeded with the decommissioning of these assets in haste and completely illegally, describing these actions as “despicable and illegal” which tarnish the image of the provincial deputies and the deliberative body in his outfit.
Questioned by Radio Okapi, Stéphane Mbambi has not yet reacted to the accusations against him.
This affair echoes the numerous cases of embezzlement and corruption which taint the Congolese political class. It highlights the need for a thorough investigation and an independent judiciary to shed light on such wrongdoing.
By lifting the immunities of the president of the provincial assembly of Kasai-Central, the office is sending a strong signal, showing its desire to fight corruption and guarantee transparency and accountability within provincial institutions.
It now remains to be seen how the judicial authorities will handle this matter and to hope that justice will be done, in order to restore public confidence in the political class and prevent further acts of misappropriation of public assets.