First stage of the Vital Kamerhe case

[Joram Africa]

As a reminder, Vital Kamerhe is accused of overcharging, money laundering and embezzlement of public funds as part of the first 100 days emergency program of Head of State Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo.

It is a rebounding trial that opens today at the TGI of Kinshasa / Gombe. Indeed, after the first stage of the investigation of the Vital Kamerhe case against the Republic, now let’s get down to business. If, in this first phase, the Public Prosecutor had sufficient time and arguments, the defense, for its part, documented itself at the same time as it is preparing to expand further on the form, before to get into the bottom. Sources close to the defendant, we learn that elements gathered reveal the complete opposite of the accusations which contributed to the arrest, since April 8, 2020, of the Director of Cabinet and, moreover, historic ally of Félix Tshisekedi , the current President of the Republic, in the “Cape for Change” coalition.

First, sources close to the defense of Vital Kamerhe point out, “contrary to the accusations of the Public Prosecutor who spoke of a disbursement of 47 Million USD” in the file concerning the construction of prefabricated houses, this order placed with the company SAMIBO would rather be valued at US $ 57 million of which the Government would have paid only a deposit of US $ 2,137,500. The doubtful precedents on the fictitious nature of the Samibo Society on which the same Public Prosecutor would have based his accusation, fall, rather, the responsibility of the former government which, in its time, could not conclude a deal of such a far-reaching, without first carrying out all the necessary checks, including the corporate object of the contracting party.

SAMIBO, according to Kamerhe’s defense, is not fictitious. It had, however, signed the first private contract for the construction of 900 houses with the Democratic Republic of Congo in April 2018. Then, an Amendment to this contract in 2019, to go from 900 to 1,500 houses. All these contracts, through the Ministry of Rural Development, were contracted by the previous government.

However, the second order from the Republic placed following the promise made by the President of the Republic, to improve the living conditions of the Military and Police, concerns 3,000 houses.

The other charge which would weigh on Vital Kamerhe is that relating to the contracting of an over-the-counter contract with the TRADE PLUS company specialized in hardware when it had to buy medicines. According to the prosecution, this company is not only not specialized in pharmaceutical products, but also received US $ 10 million for the supply of medicines which, oddly enough, were out of date and unfit for consumption.

In reality, says circles close to VK, the order from the company TRADE PLUS was placed by the Ministry of Health for an amount of 5,354,134.75 US dollars instead of 10,000,000 US dollars, as declared by the Public Prosecutor.

What is more, the notarial statutes of TRADE PLUS, it is argued, bear witness to the fact that it is a company which indeed has the social purpose, among others, of Pharmacy.

Also, all the drugs ordered by the Ministry of Health have been delivered and received by the said Ministry. It has also been shown that only a few items contained in 2 out of 12 containers delivered approached the expiration date.

This is why, they were replaced urgently at the request of the Minister of Health, after the quality control carried out by the competent services of his sector.

To date, it should be noted that the Ministry of Health had already distributed these drugs. This is proof, if necessary, that they have been validated, according to the defendant.

Surprise at the meeting

These revelations which would no doubt change the order of the trial scheduled for Monday 11 May at the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Kinshasa / Gombe, indicate, for the defense and the militants of the UNC, that the arrest of the Director of the President’s Office of the Republic would be arbitrary.

The surprise therefore remains. Because, this trial with multiple stakes, with regard to this new counter-attack which begins today, may well take other turns.

Certainly, all citizens are equal before the law. But, all citizens have the right to equal protection of this same law. That is why, therefore, they demand a fair trial. Because, for them, if the law, nothing but the law is real said, Kamerhe, after more than a month of detention in Makala, would go straight to an acquittal.

Finally, they appeal to the responsibility of the judges so that they can do their work, in complete freedom and so that they can make an informed decision. Congolese justice, whose coat of arms has been tarnished for a long time, will find its true marks, no matter how long it takes, in the era of democratic change.

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[Joram Africa]

Union for the Congolese Nation, UNC

A young activist from the Union for the Congolese Nation (UNC ), Dieu-Merci Kyalondawa sacrificed himself, Monday, May 11, 2020, at Muzihirwa square not far from the provincial headquarters of the party dear to the Director of Cabinet of the Chief of the ‘State in Ibanda commune. This was to demand Vital Kamerhe’s release!

According to eyewitnesses to the event, the young man over 25 years old, set fire to his clothes after getting sprayed with petrol.

The boy did so with a UNC flag in his hand to demand the release of vital Kamerhe.

Though narrowly rescued, he was later referred to the Bukavu Provincial Reference General Hospital for appropriate treatment.

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[Joram Africa]

Why Vital Kamerhe has a rope around his neck

On January 24, 2019 in Kinshasa, at the Palais de la Nation, the DRC sees, for the first time in its history, an outgoing president and an incoming president pass the torch. A new era is declared. Félix Tshisekedi, in his speech to the nation, then undertook to restore the Congo, by fighting corruption, the main scourge that plagues the country. On January 25, 2019, Tshisekedi officially takes office. On the same day, Vital Kamerhe also took up his post as chief of staff to the Head of State. In the evening, a press release was issued, signed by the new head of the President’s cabinet, on the orders of Tshisekedi. All expenses are suspended and should receive approval from the Congolese Presidency, he said.

The following days, discussions around the formation of the government got bogged down. That’s when Vital Kamerhe, his relatives say, will propose a 100-day plan to the President. It is an emergency program, valued at more than US $ 400 million, which aims to launch major works, pending the arrival of a government. Thus, on March 2, 2019, President Félix Tshisekedi moved the political gotha to the sumptuous Exchanger of Limete. Under this symbol of the illusory pretensions of the Mobutu regime, Félix Tshisekedi displays his ambitions.

In short, the new president aims above all to “impact” the spirits. The program does not seek that much to resolve priority problems. No, he wants to mount this new disputed Head of State, some of whom doubt the legitimacy, including power, in the process of “doing something” 

Presentation of the Emergency Program for the first 100 days of the President of the Republic H.E. Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi.
The Head of State unveils his program focused on Security, justice, infrastructure and communication channels, education, relaxation.

On the other side of the city, in May 2019, the Chinese company CREC 8 began construction of a grade separation at the Pompage roundabout, west of Kinshasa. These works, it is said, consist of the construction of a viaduct to ensure the diffusion of traffic in five directions, towards Mbudi, Brikin, Maman Yemo, Nzolantima and Saint Mukassa, in order to eliminate the traffic jams often observed in rush hour in this part of the capital.

Show Tshisekedi that you’re working

On the spot, the Chinese open the way for the Office of Highways and Drainage (OVD) to which the government entrusts the supervision of nine works to be built. There are plans to build “sanitation works on the Brikin pumping axis through the CARRIGRES sandstone quarry almost complete”, the OVD. “The OVD will build different layers of the roadway from the week of May 05,” it was announced. But, this place and its work will remain the symbol of a scourge that will soon befall Kinshasa.

Days pass and the Congolese capital is plunged into a veritable anarchy of traffic. On the sites where these works are under construction, columns of vehicles poison traffic, in a city of around 12 million inhabitants, and where driving while driving is already a real test. Heaps of metal sheets surround the construction sites, hiding the evolution, creating more and more frustration of the population who sees nothing progress.

In July, the Congolese Presidency gets angry. “The leap-crossings to free Kinshasa from its endless traffic jams have become a nightmare for drivers in Kinshasa. What is going on ? The president [Félix Tshisekedi] is going to go to the various sites…. Where nothing is done, the blue sheets will be dismantled. The sites, reopened to traffic and the management of the works will go to the cashier, reimburse the money collected “, vociferates Kasongo Mwema Yamba Yamba, the spokesperson for President Félix Tshisekedi.

Accompanied by Vital Kamerhe, his cabinet director who is very present on this project, Félix Tshisekedi descends on the ground on July 17, 2019. He begins his tour with the symbolic Pompage site, in the municipality of Ngaliema. He will also visit that of “Socimat” at the gates of the Gombe, connecting the very posh commune of Ngaliema to downtown Kinshasa. Here, the president notes “a slowness”. But, far from the proclamations of his spokesman, the Head of State will end his visit with a smile. Nothing is done then, the works, it is said, are going well overall.

Sinking

But there. The days are advancing and blue sheets, which encircle entire sites on increasingly impracticable streets of Kinshasa, still do not arise the famous “leapfrogs”. The symbol of “Pumping” even announces an inauguration in November 2019. Nothing is done.

Worse, in December, Félix Tshisekedi met the adventure of his life there. This Monday, the Congolese Head of State begins his day by launching the inauguration of a decimated pavilion, 5 months ago and currently rehabilitated, of the Ngaliema clinic, in the commune of Gombe. He will then lay the foundation stone for the construction of the industrial drinking water treatment complex in the Ozone district, in the commune of Ngaliema. The highlight of the show, according to the Presidency, is that the president will inaugurate the pumpkin leap.

Only, that day, patatras. While the red carpet and the din that goes with it invaded the surroundings of the “Pom-mutton”, President Félix Tshisekedi will be absent. The inauguration does not take place. No official explanation is provided immediately. But, the observation on the spot speaks volumes: Tshisekedi almost inaugurated an unfinished work.

The work, “which is almost ready,” still needed some adjustments, including the construction of adjacent tracks. The latter were to allow vehicles and other users to circulate normally below the grade separation to reach the other arteries, making it possible to solve the problem of traffic jams at this level, the object of the work. If these routes were not yet all ready until Monday, December 23, 2019, there are especially the parking lots that have not been developed, and tons of rubbish stored at the foot and in the bottom sides of the viaduct.

The controversy breaks out. So are the rumors. If the presidency remains silent, Benjamin Wenga Basubi, Director of the OVD, is announced at arrest, before being released and confirming the progress of the work, without explaining the failure. The inter-union of the OVD is stepping up on the antennas of Radio Top Congo FM: “We ask the president, head of state, who has always listened to the Base, but also the other social components to deign to receive this work and to be able to inaugurate it before New Year’s Eve to alleviate the suffering of the inhabitants of Kimbwala, Malueka, Mbudi, CPA, Kinsuka, Don Bosco, Lutendele and Pompage “. A new promise that will not be respected.

In 2020, anger rises at the wheel. The people of Kinshasa can’t take it anymore. The serious and tense economic situation encountered the suffering of traffic jams, causing Félix Tshisekedi’s popularity to drop. But, the President is concentrated in his international tour, or a strange verbal jousting with his Kabilist allies.

Strangely enough, it’s his chief of staff, Vital Kamerhe, who is stepping up this time. The man presents a flattering assessment, on the occasion of the Year 1 of the power of president Félix Tshisekedi. Vital Kamerhe drops a bomb. First, he announces that the “companies carrying out the work are suffocated”.

It is angering the Congolese internet. And the President’s stoic right arm still ventures to announce a date for the famous inauguration for January 30, 2020.

The devil is in the details

The god of the dates not being Congolese, even less Tshisekediste, on January 30, the site “Pumping” is again dried by the president Félix Tshisekedi. As before, the Head of State is still right. The work has nothing to do with the models sold.

Vital Kamerhe finds himself with a rope around his neck. The president’s chief of staff had dared to announce that the works as a whole had reached 70% completion rate. Finance Minister Sele Yalaghuli, from Kabila camp, the guillotine. The national banker announces that these works, which certainly received a much higher disbursement, are “below 50%” of execution.

In the aftermath of the “Pumping” fiasco, recoveries and controversies, the OVD released the details. In a table distributed to the press, the state-owned company in charge of the work gives details to make matters clear. Hold. The “grade separation” works are valued at USD 45.5 million.

At this point, the government has made cumulative payments around US $ 21.2 million, nearly 46% of the disbursement rate. The work, estimates this document from the OVD, is 41% completed. In detail, of the nine grade separations, two remain symbolic: they received a payment of 40%, but have an execution rate of 0%.

According to sources, the OVD informs that the payment was used to purchase the building materials. “At this point, we still have the equipment for these two grade separations. But, there is a lack of resources to start the works, “explains an official of the state company.

The same situation is observed everywhere. Jean-Marc Kabund, president of the UDPS, initiates a tour on Friday February 6, 2020 morning to find out more. In the east of the city, where construction is stagnating the most, construction sites are at a standstill. Here, in a book entrusted to the company SAFRICAS, the staff has been on leave since January 27, 2020 for “logistical constraints”. According to several sources, providers lack the cash to continue the work.

The chaos will push President Félix Tshisekedi to react, seizing the Congolese justice and even asking for an audit. To be continued at the next Act.

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[Joram Africa]

THE TRIAL OF THE DIRECTOR OF CABINET OF THE HEAD OF STATE, VITAL KAMERHE

Everything is paralyzed in Monsieur’s Vital Kamerhe hometown
this May 11, 2020. It is 10am in Bukavu Deposits, shops, stores remain closed. Traffic is slowing down in the city. The inhabitants show solidarity with their natural Leader.

The trial of the director of cabinet of the Head of State, Vital Kamerhe, which opens this Monday, May 11, 2020 in the central prison of Makala will not be broadcast live on Radio Television Nationale Congolaise, (RTNC).

The information is confirmed by the RTNC deputy director general, Freddy Mulumba.

Note that the Canal Futur television channel had obtained authorization from the Kinshasa / Gombe tribunal to cover this trial.

As a reminder, Vital Kamerhe is accused of overcharging, money laundering and embezzlement of public funds as part of the first 100 days emergency program of Head of State Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo.

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[Joram Africa]

THE VITAL KAMERHE TRIAL

It opened this Monday, May 11, 2020 in Kinshasa, the Kamerhe trial against the Republic in the case known as embezzlement within the framework of the 100 days emergency program of the Head of State ” . The hearing took place at Makala Central Prison where the Kinshasa / Gombe Tribunal de Grande Instance was sitting in a fairground. After verification of their identities, Vital Kamerhe and Jammal Samih and Jeannot Muhima, his two co-defendants, were heard by the court. The defendant noted, inter alia, the non-disclosure of documents and minutes of the proceedings. But also for the purpose of examining the request for provisional release requested by the lawyers of the Director of Cabinet of the President of the Republic, the TGI postponed the trial to the fortnight, that is to May 25. However, we will remember in this first round that it is a combative VK, ensuring that as Dircab of the Head of State, he was in a team of supervisors, consisting of 9 people in total, but n ‘ was not the Program Coordinator which included several managers according to the fields. The defendant Jeannot Muhima, meanwhile, confirmed that nearly 1,600,000 USD for which he is being prosecuted for embezzlement, were actually used for customs formalities and other charges related to the importation of prefabricated houses. On the Jammal Samih side, the defense asked for proof that the houses did not arrive and that the Congolese state paid for everything.

This Monday, thousands of Congolese taped to the Congolese National Radio and Television, one of the two media authorized to cover the trial, were able to realize that today’s audience, which looks like the start of a series, marks new era in the history of Congolese justice which wants to be for all and which reinforces the rule of law, pledge of democracy.

Vital Kamerhe is accused by the Prosecutor’s Office at the Kinshasa / Matete Court of Appeal of having awarded the contract by mutual agreement to the Lebanese businessman Jammal Samih, the manager of the Samibo company, in exchange in particular, a donation of a concession to Ngaliema through Soraya Mpiana, the daughter his wife Hamida Shatur.

They are thus both prosecuted for embezzlement of the funds allocated to the project of 100 of the Head of State, particularly concerning the purchase and the erection of 1500 prefabricated houses for 9 provinces of the country.

Speaking, each in turn, the two men declared with conviction that they did not know each other. For Félix Tshisekedi’s director of cabinet, “I have never met Jammal … I will know him in what capacity? I’ve met a lot of people in my life. ”

Also, for Kamerhe, he does not have to be the only one to answer for the project in question when he was part of a whole team made up of 9 people to supervise it. The coordination of this team, he said, was assumed by Nicolas Kazadi, the itinerant ambassador of the Head of State.

As for Jeannot Muhima, in charge of import-export at the Presidency of the Republic, who was also heard in connection with the diversion of nearly $ 2 million in customs clearance of materials for prefabricated houses, Vital Kamerhe revealed ne never have seen him physically.

Lebanese businessman Jammal Samih, who appeared physically weak at the hearing, first wanted to appear in Arabic because of his lack of French. Difficult and very frustrated, he answered a few questions from the court. After a few seconds of procrastination, he admitted being aware of the Head of State’s 100-day program, but in a firm tone, Mr. Jammal swore only on his innocence, alluding, moreover, to the impossibility of installing 1500 prefabricated houses in 3 months.

After this hearing, the court promised to rule on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 on the requests for provisional release of Kamerhe and Jammal. According to their advice, the state of health of these two defendants seems worrying, maintains Mr. John Kaboto, one of Kamerhe’s advisers.

It should be recalled that the Director of Cabinet of the President of the Republic and moral authority of the political formation Union for the Congolese Nation, has been in pre-trial detention in the Makala Central Prison since April 8, last. He behaved very well and collaborated with the justice of his country, say and repeat his lawyers why his request for provisional release can only catch the attention of the judges, in accordance with the prescribed of the law.

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[Joram Africa]

Vital Kamerhe said that he had intervened on behalf of the President

Responding to the court’s question about the role he played in carrying out the 100-day emergency program, Vital Kamerhe said that he had intervened on behalf of the President of the Republic Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo.

In addition, the president of the Union for the Congolese Nation, (UNC), specified that his intervention was intended to allow the concretization of these works for the happiness of the Congolese people.

“I am the director of cabinet to the head of state, we have to execute the program of the head of state, which is already a new situation since usually the program is that of the Prime Minister, we had to start with But because we had a prime minister from an assembly that had just been swept away by a new assembly, and we didn’t have a prime minister, so the President of the Republic had to fold his arms for 7 months and “I did nothing? I intervened on behalf of the President of the Republic so that this work could be done and so that we could meet the main need of the Congolese people,” said Vital Kamerhe.

Recall also that during his interrogation, Vital Kamerhe indicated that there were 9 people who made up the supervision team for the 100-day work including the governor of the Central Bank of Congo and the deputy chief of staff to the head of the ‘State.

Following a request from the defense, the court postponed the investigation which opened on Monday at Makala central prison in Kinshasa, until May 25.

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[Joram Africa]

activists from the Union for the Congolese Nation UNC

A strong tension has been observed since the morning of this Saturday, May 23, 2020 on the road section between the Rond-Point Carrefour and ONL Janda in the commune of Kadutu, city of Bukavu in South Kivu.

Basically, activists from the Union for the Congolese Nation UNC, a political party dear to Vital Kamerhe, took to the streets early in the morning to demand the release of the latter currently detained in Makala central prison in Kinshasa.

These activists barricaded the road not far from the Funu site. The police then intervened, firing bullets to disperse the demonstrators.

In these scuffles, witnesses on the spot report that two people are seriously injured and some activists were arrested by the police.

They woke up very early in the morning of this Friday 23/05/2020, strong tensions between some young people who barricaded the stretch of funu and the police.

One of the wounded was shot in the leg, the other injured in the stomach, according to Cimpunda deputy district chief Bezo Mulegwa.

The latter was transferred to the Provincial General Reference Hospital in Bukavu for treatment while the former was admitted to the Berna Hospital Center, his case not being serious.

The policeman responsible for the shots is at the stops in Kadutu commune.

Note that other activists of the Union for the Congolese Nation are visible along the road to Kalengera not far from the Pharmakina company in the commune of Bagira from Friday May 22 until the morning of this Saturday May 23, 2020.

With UNC flags in hand, these activists wear banners that read, “We demand an end to the relentlessness against Vital Kamerhe; Kamerhe is our leader; He’s a peacemaker; Vital Kamerhe does not deserve such a fate… ”.

Already on Friday May 22, other demonstrators were visible at the Civil Society Coordination Office with the same messages. And on the same Friday, other activists, who said they were voters for President Félix Tshisekedi, went to deliver a memorandum to the provincial governorate for the same cause.

Activists of the Union for the Congolese Nation continue to demand the release of their national president, Vital Kamerhe, director of cabinet of Félix Tshisekedi detained in Makala prison for more than a month.

In a demonstration this early morning Saturday in Kadutu commune in Bukavu, a person has just been shot by an element of the Congolese national police and several others seriously injured.

Young people took to the streets of Kadutu commune. After blocking the main road to the historic Fini stadium, hosting the Fatshi-Vit meeting during the recent electoral campaign, the police intervened and dispersed the demonstrations with tear gas bombs and live ammunition .

This assessment, still provisional, is delivered to us by the president of the society in the commune of Kadutu, Hypocrate Marume.

The demonstrators burned tires on the roadway to disrupt the movement of vehicles, before the Congolese national police intervened by firing live bullets at the demonstrators.

For the time being, the situation remains tense in Kadutu commune, where Vital Kamerhe was born.

Protesters condemn the way the Congolese national police acted, shooting civilians who were unarmed.

Detained since April 8, 2020 in Makala, the PN of the UNC will appear for the second time before the judge on May 25, after the appearance on May 11. He is being prosecuted for an alleged embezzlement of public funds allocated to the Fatshi 100 program. This trial, which his relatives, members and activists of his party, the “UNC”, have always described as “political” and “a coup” against their leader, and which, according to them, constitutes “a bitter and harshest”.

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At today’s hearing, the Tribunal began the investigation into the offense

Vital Kamerhe, Director of Cabinet of the Head of State and Jammal Samih, Director General of the companies Samibo Congo and Usmal Sarl appeared for the second time this Monday, May 25, 2020 at the Tribunal de Grande Instance of Kinshasa / Gombe in the case of alleged diversions in the 100-day program.

At today’s hearing, the Tribunal began the investigation into the offense of embezzlement of public funds, in particular by asking questions of the two main defendants.

A Jammal Samih who claims his innocence from the start of the trial

In his responses, the Lebanese Jammal Samih demonstrated that he had indeed received the sum of 57 million US dollars for the construction of 1500 prefabricated houses and that the money had indeed passed through the banking circuit contrary to the assertions of the prosecution.

Continuing his defense, the boss of the companies Samibo Congo and Usmal Sarl said that orders had been regularly made, that more than 400 containers were blocked in ports, notably in Addis Ababa and Dar es Salaam, and that prefabricated houses arrived and built in some sites.

Jammal Samih has not ceased to proclaim his innocence by specifying that he has just spent 52 years in the Congo without ever being cited in the robbery and, he specifies, it is a question of the jealous who are after him.

A discussion then followed on the validity of the contract which awarded the contract to these two companies. The prosecution and the lawyers for the Republic maintain that it is a contract signed since 2018 while the Minister of Rural Development Justin Bitakwira was still in office.

Vital Kamerhe serene and rebuffs all the arguments of the prosecution

Prevention rebuffed by the defense of Jammal Samih like that of Vital Kamerhe. Speaking alone before his lawyers, Vital Kamerhe presents a whole book of plays to support his words and prove his innocence.

It is here that he demonstrates that all the contracts had indeed been signed at the time of the Tshibala government but never executed. With the arrival of President Félix Tshisekedi in power, the one hundred day program has recovered all these projects in order to give the population new hope, he said.

Vital Kamerhe clarified that as Director of the Office of the Head of State, he should, with the entire supervision team, ensure that the projects selected are carried out as planned and not to touch the money or to award contracts.

After opposing him letters signed in particular for the authorization of procurement by mutual agreement and prohibited any movement in the accounts of the public treasury since January 2019, Vital Kamerhe, straight in his boots, brandishes the same correspondences and specifies to have acted on the instruction of the President of the Republic.

It was here that he insisted that the prosecution demonstrate, with supporting documents, at what level he could access and divert the funds in co-operation with Jammal and the logical reasons that would justify his continued detention.

After several factual discussions between the parties and the court, it was requested that certain persons named in the case be invited to appear as witnesses.

Having acceded to the request, the court resolved to call Justin Bitakwira and his secretary general for rural development, the coordinator of the 100-day program Nicolas Kazadi, the Governor of the Central Bank, the manager of Rawbank, the former budget ministers and finance as well as the general managers of certain companies such as SNCC.

The lawyers for the republic suggested in court to invite several members of the Jammal clan and Kamer’s wife, Hamida Shatur, and then a discussion ensued during which the lawyers for the president of the UNC considered that ‘It was inappropriate to call the spouse of the chief of staff to the head of state.

The hearing was adjourned and postponed to June 3, 2020. Immediately afterwards, the court retreated to the council chamber to reconsider the new request for provisional release brought by Vital Kamerhe.

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UNC and the FCC will be in the streets

After the UDPS, Lamuka, the CLC and others, Vital Kamerhe’s UNC and the FCC dear to Joseph Kabila will be in the streets today, Thursday July 23, 2020. The militants and supporters of this party and this political grouping almost at the antipodes do not have the same motivations although their routes are almost similar. The UNC is outright demanding the release of its leader sentenced to 20 years of first-degree forced labor in the historic 100-day trial. The appeal trial opens tomorrow, Friday, July 24. However, backing Prime Minister Ilunga Ilunkamba, the FCC will beat the tarmac to demand respect for the Constitution, the rejection of presidential orders appointing military and judicial appointments. As usual, the police will deploy on the main arteries. There will be sparks in the air.

The street will speak again. Calling themselves legalists, the members and activists of the FCC, a political grouping in coalition with CACH which brings together the UDPS and the UNC as well as their Allies, waited for the end of the state of health emergency to demonstrate in the streets. This has been done since the night of July 21, during which the President of the Republic, Félix Tshisekedi, announced the gradual resumption of activities including demonstrations and meetings. Initially, the FCC planned to march to support the institutions of the Republic. But, since the turmoil made by the Head of State within the armed forces and the judiciary, the discourse has changed.

The political family dear to the former President of the Republic is throwing itself into the streets to support one of their own, in this case, Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba, Head of Government. In a statement published in the press, the latter said he was surprised by the presidential orders made public on Friday July 17 and countersigned by his interim, the VPM Gilbert Kankonde in charge of the Interior and Security, while he himself was on mission in Lubumbashi in Haut-Katanga at the request of President Félix Tshisekedi.

“Countersigning is an act of very high political and legal significance which falls under the exclusive competence attached to the quality of Prime Minister and which cannot be conceived within the framework of the interim as circumscribed in the letter which conferred it. to the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Interior, Security and Customary Affairs. With regard to the coalition government, the countersignature of the Prime Minister constitutes, beyond its legal nature, the pledge of the balance of powers between the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister who is the emanation of the National Assembly ” , explains the Spokesman for the Head of Government in this press release. This is the crux of the matter.

Many say that Sylvestre Ilunga made this press release public in order to escape the pressure from his political camp. It should be remembered that the FCC had, the first, published an abundant press release in the same direction. This is why its members and activists will be in the streets today. File to follow.

Meanwhile, the UNC denounces double-speed justice. In the same 100-day trial, David Blattner, boss of Safricas, was acquitted as work on several grade separations was unfinished or in some places did not even begin. In his prefabricated houses component, the Lebanese Jammal Samih, Managing Director of the Samibo company, has already erected more than a hundred at the Tshatshi military camp and many of his containers are blocked in ports regardless of his good will. . So why Vital Kamerhe and others must languish in prison and be refused provisional or conditional release on several occasions? Ask supporters and activists of the UNC who speak of double standards. Many will be in the streets of Kinshasa today to demand the release of their leader.

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Front Commun pour le Congo FCC

The march long planned by the Front Commun pour le Congo FCC finally took place on Thursday, July 23, 2020 in the city of Kinshasa. According to corroborating sources, everything took place in a good childhood atmosphere and no major incidents were reported during this peaceful march. From start to finish, there were no breakages, nor tear gas fire to disperse the crowds who had responded overwhelmingly to the call of the leaders of this political platform led by Senator Joseph Kabila Kabange.

According to the organizers, the purpose was to arrive at the People’s Palace to deliver a memo to the office of the National Assembly. Unfortunately, the police did not allow the marchers to reach the People’s Palace as the FCC leaders wanted. After a refusal by the police to pass, the demonstrators gathered in the triumphal space in front of the Martyrs Stadium where several leaders gave interviews to various media. Never mind, in the opinion of observers, the march was peaceful, the deputy provincial commissioner of the city of Kinshasa police force insisted on respecting the instructions he had communicated to the organizers in advance.

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[Joram Africa]

Shangalume Nkingi Daniel known as Massaro

The hearing under investigation in the case between the public prosecutor and the defendant Shangalume Nkingi Daniel known as Massaro ” to begin on Friday July 24 has been postponed to August 14 by the Kinshasa / Matete tribunal de grande instance sitting in fairground at Makala central prison, for lack of summons to defendants. Apprehended by the prosecution after a failed getaway with two of his acolytes, Daniel Massaro is being prosecuted for corruption, money laundering and contempt of the Head of State.

Regarding the first prevention, the prosecution retained the offense of corruption against the defendant Daniel Shangalume by the simple fact for him of having “solicited or accepted directly or indirectly, while being a public official, an undue advantage , for himself or for others, in order to abuse his real or supposed influence with a view to winning public contracts in violation of the tendering procedure and the thresholds set by the legislation on procurement. public contracts by mutual agreement ”, allusion made to a concession offered to him by the boss of the Samibo company, Samih Jammal, condemned in the first degree by the TGI Kinshasa Gombe in the Kamerhe et al. case.

Introduced as a friend to his children, Lebanese businessman Samih Jammal revealed in court that he had offered the defendant Massaro as a gift a concession for several services he has always rendered him. Heard as an informant in the Kamerhe et al affair, Daniel Massaro had claimed to have bought this concession.

To these sources leaked from the investigating judicial body to increase the price, ” the investigations carried out by the prosecution also made it possible to note the abnormal increase in the financial assets of the defendant, which was to the great surprise launched on the market of the ‘immovable. We could see the defendant making important acquisitions, in this case, the purchase of high value plots in the commune of Gombe, Lingwala or even in the commune of Ngaliema ’’. The curious thing is that “each time, the sums demanded by the sellers have been disbursed in cash and no legitimate income can justify them,” said the law enforcement agency.

Money laundering

The prosecution also accuses Daniel Shangalume alias Massaro of having “intentionally concealed or disguised the illicit origin of the sum of US $ 47,980,150 embezzled by acquiring real estate in Kinshasa in particular, parcel number 5082 of the cadastral plan of the municipality de la Gombe, plot number 5807 of the cadastral map of the municipality of Lingwala and plot 44988 of the cadastral map of the municipality of Ngaliema ”. Purchases paid in cash and through non-bank channels. This constitutes the offense of money laundering, the second prevention against Daniel Massaro.

Caught in his own turpitude

The whole thing would have taken place on April 8, in front of the general prosecutor’s office near the Court of Appeal of Kinshasa / Matete at 4ème rue Limete, while his cousin was in full hearing in the office of the general prosecutor, Daniel Massaro, “taken by his own turpitude”, gave himself the luxury of offending the Head of State in an interview he would have given to an online television channel. In which, through this video which toured the web a few months ago, we could see a Massaro swinging outrageous remarks against the President of the Republic. This constitutes, for the prosecution, the offense of “contempt of the Head of State”.

For the record, the general prosecutor at the Kinshasa / Matete Court of Appeal, shortly after the imprisonment of his cousin Vital Kamerhe, invited the defendant Daniel Shangalume Nkingi to appear in his offices. Instead of responding to the prosecutor’s invitation, the defendant’s option was to go on the run with his two sidekicks. They were found a few days later on a private farm not far from Kenge in Kwango province.

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[Joram Africa]

Vital Kamerhe, closely follows the hot news from Makala prison

Despite his incarceration in the central prison of Makala, the National President of the Union for the Congolese Nation (UNC), Vital Kamerhe, closely follows the hot news of the country and never ceases to comfort the executives and activists of his party . Through a statement signed by his acting Secretary General last weekend, Félix Tshisekedi’s chief of staff continues to shout loudly his innocence and demand that the law be spoken so that he regains his total freedom. By the same, Vital Kamerhe thanked from afar all those who expressed their support for the hard ordeal he is going through, through the various peaceful marches organized in Kinshasa and in various cities and territories of the DRC on July 23 and 24, 2020. Below, the entire message of thanks from Vital Kamerhe.

MESSAGE OF THANKS FROM THE NATIONAL PRESIDENT OF THE UNION FOR THE CONGOLESE NATION

The Honorable Vital Kamerhe, National President of the UNC, instructs me to convey his deep thanks to all compatriots, members of associations, civil society, executives, activists and sympathizers of the UNC for the support expressed to him, at this time of hard test, through the peaceful marches organized in Kinshasa and in various cities and territories of our country on July 23 and 24, 2020. In particular, he thanks the initiators and organizers for their professionalism.

He congratulates them for their patriotism expressed by the discipline they have shown in exercising their right to demonstrate as guaranteed by the Constitution of our country.

He also congratulates the security forces who, on the whole, supervised these demonstrations well except for the incident in Goma where a UNC activist was shot and wounded in Bukavu where the peaceful gathering on the ground. of Funu was dispersed.

Beyond moral comfort, these demonstrations reinforce their deep conviction that the Congolese people, in love with peace and justice, continue to believe in the advent of a true rule of law in our country.

In communion with all the Congolese who carefully follow this trial of the 100 days program, he continues to proclaim his innocence and to demand that the law be said so that he recovers his total freedom and continues to work for the well-being of the Congolese. .

Finally, he believes in divine justice and thanks all those who pray for him and for our dear country every day.

Done in Kinshasa, July 25, 2020

For the Honorable Vital Kamerhe

National President

Hon Aimé Boji Sangara

Secretary General a.i.

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[Joram Africa]

several political and religious figures visit Vital Kamerhe

Last weekend, several political and religious figures including the coordinator of the FCC, Néhémie Mwilanya, the secretary general of the CENCO, Abbé Donatien Nshole and the former vice-president of the CENI, Norbert Basengezi, all made the trip to Makala Central Prison, for a compassionate visit to Kamerhe. These visits, which were qualified as suspicious, sparked several reactions in social networks. Reacting on an alleged deprivation of a visit by the Director of Cabinet of Félix Tshisekedi, joined by our colleagues from Radio Top Congo, Me Jean-Marie Kabengele, one of Vital Kamerhe’s main lawyers recalled that this decision would be a violation of law of an accused or convicted.

“We learned like everyone else on social media that our client is prohibited from receiving visits from relatives. If this turns out to be true, it will be a setback and acts that violate human rights and impact our client’s defense system and his state of health, because these visits comfort him, because his state of health does not is not in focus. I think the country’s authorities cannot get that far, “responded the lawyer for the National President of the UNC. According to this, the law allows the detainee to keep in touch with his family, lawyers and relatives. “These are universal principles. On the other hand, “what is denied to the detainee is free movement,” he adds. According to Mr. Kabengele, contrary to popular belief, these visits to Makala Central Prison have no influence on the ongoing proceedings.

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