Congolese Justice Minister Constant Mutamba is set to appear before a court in connection with an investigation into the alleged embezzlement of public funds, APA learned Wednesday from media sources.
Minister Mutamba stepped down on Tuesday to answer charges before the very justice system he once led.
He is accused of embezzling $19 million earmarked for the construction of a prison facility. The 37-year-old politician made his decision official during a meeting with President Félix Tshisekedi, who accepted his resignation.
According to one of his close aides, Mutamba chose to resign “to allow the justice system to do its job,” in what he called an act of public accountability. He is under investigation for the alleged diversion of funds allocated for the construction of a prison in Kisangani, in the country’s northeast.
Appointed in May 2024, the now-former minister had denied any involvement until June 10. In an official statement released on that date, the justice ministry maintained that “the $39 million allocated for the Kisangani project remain frozen by the National Financial Intelligence Unit (CENAREF) and have not been disbursed or executed.”
Mutamba’s resignation follows a series of judicial developments: the National Assembly lifted his parliamentary immunity last Sunday, clearing the way for legal proceedings. Soon after, the Prosecutor General at the Court of Cassation, Firmin Mvonde, barred him from leaving the capital, Kinshasa.
In addition to embezzlement charges, Mutamba is also facing prosecution for contempt of state institutions, after he publicly denounced what he described as a “political conspiracy” against him.
The prosecutor also accuses him of unlawfully authorising the release of several inmates, including individuals convicted of serious crimes such as murder, torture, and armed robbery.
Ironically, in recent months Mutamba had gained a reputation for his tough stance against the kulunas—members of urban Congolese gangs often arrested and sentenced to death. The accusations he now faces stand in stark contrast to his previous hardline image.
A former presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Mutamba had vowed, upon his appointment as justice minister, to reform the judicial system and fight corruption.
ODL/te/sf/lb/as/APA