Former Congolese Leader To Do Hard Labor For Corruption
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) constitutional court this week sentenced a former prime minister to 10 years of hard labor on embezzlement charges, in a high-profile case brought by the administration of President Félix Tshisekedi against his predecessor’s government, Reuters reported.
On Tuesday, the court found former Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo guilty of embezzling approximately $245 million in public funds, along with Deogratias Mutombo, former governor of the central bank, and South African businessman Christo Grobler.
Mutombo and Grobler each received five-year sentences of hard labor. All three were tried in absentia and remain at large, according to the newswire.
The charges stem from the misappropriation of funds meant for the Bukanga-Lonzo Agro-Industrial Park, a large-scale agricultural project launched under former President Joseph Kabila.
The initiative aimed to reduce food insecurity and create jobs, but it collapsed in 2017. Three years later, Congolese authorities under Tshisekedi discovered that funds were stolen from the project and initiated a probe over the previous government’s conduct, the BBC wrote.
Matata, who served as prime minister from 2012 to 2016, has denied any wrongdoing. His lawyer condemned the verdict as politically motivated.
Following the ruling, both Matata and Mutombo have been barred from holding public office for five years.
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