DR Congo Court Jails Ex-Justice Minister Mutamba Over Stolen Prison Funds

A top court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has sentenced former Justice Minister Constant Mutamba to three years of forced labor after convicting him of embezzling nineteen million dollars in public funds.

The money was intended for a prison construction project in the country’s north.

The court ruled that Mutamba acted with the intent of illicit enrichment and bypassed legal procedures.

Mutamba, who resigned in June, had pleaded not guilty. His lawyer, Joel Kitenge, called the verdict unjust.