Ex-DRC justice minister Mutamba jailed for Sh2.6 billion scandal: Political witch-hunt or genuine anti-graft drive?
Mutamba vowed to come down hard on embezzlers. Now, he has been sentenced to three years, with hard labour, for allegedly stealing funds intended for the construction of a prison.
Former Congolese Justice Minister Constant Mutamba, whose profile in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) rose after he proposed the death penalty for officials who stole public funds, has now found himself at the centre of a corruption scandal.
A high court in Kinshasa has sentenced the 37-year-old former justice minister to three years of hard labour after convicting him of embezzling $19.9 million (about Sh2.6 billion/€18 million). The money was intended to finance the construction of a prison in the northern city of Kisangani.
More To Read
- Kinshasa court jails ex-Justice Minister Mutamba over Sh2.5 billion corruption scandal
- DRC’s latest peace deal is breaking down and it isn’t the first – What’s being done wrong
- DRC opens 124 million hectares to oil exploration, risking endangered species and rainforests
- Trading Africa’s minerals for security deals is a dangerous gamble, experts warn
- Africa’s freshwater ecosystems depend on little creatures like insects and snails: Study maps overlooked species
- Uganda reopens border posts with eastern DR Congo
Mutamba, who served as justice minister in 2024 and 2025 under President Felix Tshisekedi, resigned over the case in June 2025. The court also barred him from running for office for five years once he completes his sentence.
While previous hard labour sentences in the DRC have been served in prison, it remains unclear whether Mutamba’s case will be handled differently.
The Court of Cassation in Kinshasa ruled that Mutamba had bypassed due process and pursued illicit enrichment. Mutamba insisted he had reached verbal agreements with government authorities, though he admitted he did not know whether the contractor, Zion Construction, was officially approved. He also denied spending any of the money.
Prosecutors argued that Mutamba gave Zion Construction the $19.9 million (Sh2.6 billion) from a fund Uganda had paid to the DRC as compensation for Congolese victims of clashes between Ugandan and Rwandan forces during the Second Congo Civil War in the 2000s.
Political witch-hunt or fight against corruption?
In July, Mutamba claimed he was the target of a political conspiracy. "They wanted the head of a man who disturbed the mafia. I am paying the price for my fight, and I will fight it till the end," he vowed.
The former minister had pleaded not guilty to the embezzlement charges. His lawyer, Joel Kitenge, criticised the ruling, saying the proceedings lacked transparency and that Mutamba "did not steal the money."
The case has been widely seen as a test of how committed the Congolese government is to tackling corruption.
"The justice system has done its job, which we can only applaud," said human rights activist Lambert Bakonda. However, he warned against selective justice: "If we are fighting corruption and want the country to move forward, I would also like to see certain individuals who have been implicated in this corruption and embezzlement scandal convicted. Otherwise, it will be selective justice. The weak are being targeted while the strong are left alone."
Major roads blocked
In anticipation of the ruling, authorities blocked major roads leading to the court in Kinshasa and deployed dozens of security officers to deter protests. Police presence was reinforced around the Court of Cassation in Gombe, where the verdict was delivered.
In Kisangani, some viewed the conviction as political manoeuvring.
Therese Bosambi, coordinator for the Youth of Hope organisation, said: "We clearly understand this is politics. It's to break him so that he can't run in the next elections. So, to silence him, they set him up for his strategies."
Gentil Sefu, a Kisangani resident, also described Mutamba as "a political prisoner." He added, "A conviction does not happen with all the twists and turns that this case has had. We ask that Constant Mutamba be allowed to regain his civil and political rights."
The Congolese government has kept its distance from the case. Spokesperson Patrick Muyaya told DW: "I do not think this is the appropriate forum for commenting on these remarks. We cannot focus on a case that is being dealt with by the courts."
Mutamba began his political career in Kisangani alongside Senator Jean Bamanisa. Once close to former President Joseph Kabila, he broke away to form his own political party and ran in the 2023 elections, where he secured less than 1 per cent of the vote.
President Tshisekedi appointed him justice minister in 2024, a position in which he stirred debate by proposing the death penalty for officials accused of embezzling public money. He also supported legal action against former President Kabila.
Top Stories Today
