DRC: civil society divided over the trial of Vital Kamerhe

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President Tshisekedi's chief of staff faces up to 20 years of forced labor to embezzle tens of millions of dollars from the head of state's emergency program. After the indictment and the pleadings on Thursday, the verdict is expected for June 20. For most civil society organizations specializing in the transparency of public finances, this trial will at least have had the merit of highlighting the mismanagement of public finances.

Publicity

The Public Expenditure Observatory is undoubtedly the Congolese NGO which has been the most critical of the management of the 100-day program. For ODEP, the public hearings of this trial showed the extent of the violations of the rules of public finance and the total absence of control. And those who were responsible for it also deserved to be on the dock.

" It is also this violation of the law that causes these substantive diversions," said Valery Madianga, communications officer at ODEP . Because if the law had been respected, and the Minister of Budget, of Finance, had fully played their role, I think that we could avoid what happened today . This act deserves legal proceedings.  "

For the Congolese Anti-Corruption League, this trial has educational value by demonstrating all the dysfunctions. But the Congolese justice still fishes on the establishment of the proofs from a penal point of view. For Licoco and its president, Ernest Mpararo, the prosecutor has not demonstrated that these diversions directly benefited Vital Kamerhe.

"  If the prosecutor finds that the daughter or nephew of Vital Kamerhe has benefited from Jammal's donations, the prosecutor had plenty of time to call them and question them. But as the offense is individual, one cannot link this offense to Vital Kamerhe. "

ODEP and Licoco call on the authorities to learn the lessons from this lawsuit: respect the chain of public spending, procurement regulations and banking rules.

►  Also read: DRC: Vital Kamerhe and Samibo's 50 million dollars

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