Constant Mutamba, the former Minister of Justice of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been condemned to 10 years of forced labor, two days after the verdict was delivered. In a letter-manifesto addressed to the Congolese and African people, Mutamba rejected his sentence and accused the collaborators of the Head of State of having instrumentalized justice to bring down a servant considered too loyal.
Mutamba's condemnation on September 18, 2026, was described as a political decision and the outcome of an expedited trial that lasted only two days, without witnesses or material evidence. According to him, this decision is only the logical continuation of the politico-judicial plot that began in April 2025, echoing his first condemnation in September 2025 to three years of forced labor in the Kisangani prison case.
Mutamba served as Minister of Justice and claims to have done so with loyalty and patriotism, to the great satisfaction of all. However, he deplored that the collaborators of the Head of State chose to repay him with evil for good, attributing to him presidential ambitions that he had not expressed. They used justice, institutions, and state resources to tarnish his image through judicial cases fabricated without material evidence of embezzlement of public funds.
Mutamba disputes the incriminated amounts, contesting the 14 million US dollars that were allegedly embezzled. He stated that these operations were executed via the Special Fund for the Reparation and Compensation of Victims of Ugandan Illicit Activities. The Court of Cassation retained that Mutamba had embezzled over 20 million dollars in several envelopes, including 14 million dollars transferred to Congo Energy and 4 million dollars to the ICCN.
The Court of Cassation also condemned Mutamba's co-accused, Chançard Bolukola, to seven years of forced labor and both men were deprived of their right to vote and eligibility for five years and excluded from public office. The Court ordered the restitution of the funds considered embezzled and the payment of damages equivalent to half of the sums concerned.
Mutamba's lawyers contest the procedure, citing a systematic violation of fundamental rights. His lawyers, including Me Emiphe Munganga, argued that the obligatory judicial instruction had not been respected and that no witness had been heard. Despite the verdict, Mutamba remains defiant, stating that he prefers to drink the hemlock like Socrates rather than renounce his fight for justice and truth.
Mutamba now cumulates 13 years of forced labor, two interdictions from public functions, and a privation of civic rights. However, he still hopes that the national dialogue underway could lead to measures of political de-escalation or even a presidential pardon.
Key points
- Constant Mutamba was condemned to 10 years of forced labor
- Mutamba disputes the incriminated amounts
- The national dialogue may lead to measures of political de-escalation or a presidential pardon
