Category: Legal

The President of the Central Kongo Provincial Assembly, Jean-Claude Mvuemba, resigned following a petition for embezzlement and corruption. This resignation leaves a vacant position in the Provincial Assembly and accentuates the internal quarrels in the first provincial institution. This news highlights the difficulties of Congolese institutions to assume their role in the fight against corruption and embezzlement.

The article highlights the high participation fees for parents of finalist students in the 2023 State Examination in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Despite their budgeting, these fees are collected by each Provincial Principal Inspectorate, which has raised questions about their usefulness. Some headteachers have said that these fees are used to support the various stakeholders. The former Minister of Higher and University Education has already requested the abolition of these fees because of their budgetary impact and the fraud that surrounds their organization. Finally, does the ministry envisage in the long term a modification of these fees to allow students to focus on their academic success rather than on financial contributions?

The article deals with Ecobank RDC SA’s response to the controversy surrounding a possible misappropriation of funds linked to a seizure-attribution of receivables carried out at the end of 2020 by the company ASTALIA LTD. The bank denied the allegations of embezzlement and stressed that no action incriminated its senior executives. In addition, NB MINING S.A., initiator of the debt seizure-attribution procedure, saw all its actions against the bank canceled and lifted by the commercial court. The article also advises to follow the news in the Democratic Republic of Congo on their blog.

The death of Odette Pemba wa Ntumba Kazadi, a woman in her fifties and known to be a foodie, was announced to her family only in June. The circumstances of his death remain unknown and the authorities have announced the opening of an investigation. This event highlights the difficulties of access to health care in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as the difficulty of families in tracing missing persons and obtaining information on their fate.

The Provincial Assembly of Ecuador has created an edict for the social security of provincial deputies in order to grant a retirement pension. This pension will cover the duration of their life thanks to the establishment of the “Social security for parliamentarians” (Sesopa) which will make it possible to retain 10% of the emoluments of elected officials. Although some consider that parliamentarians do not need additional benefits, others believe that it is necessary to insure them against the risks associated with their office with a decent pension.

The National Council for Universal Health Coverage (CN-CSU) is organizing, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, the 3rd national forum on vaccination and polio eradication on June 27 and 28, 2023 in Kinshasa. The forum intends to take stock of the polio epidemics that have hit certain provinces of the country since 2021 and to reinforce the commitment of the authorities and partners for the vaccination coverage of all children against this disease. It will also strengthen the campaign to relaunch systematic vaccination in the DRC. Vaccination coverage of at least 80% for children before their first birthday is the target set for 2024.