A former prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been sentenced to ten years of forced labor for corruption. The Congolese Constitutional Court found Augustin Matata Ponyo guilty of embezzling approximately $245 million (£182 million) of public funds. Deogratias Mutombo, the former governor of the central bank, was sentenced to five years of forced labor in the same case. Matata’s lawyer claimed the ruling was unfair and politically motivated. Part of the funds were taken from a major agricultural development project aimed at addressing the country’s chronic food shortages. Matata served as prime minister from 2012 to 2016 and previously served as finance minister, where he received praise from the International Monetary Fund for stabilizing the economy. The case has stretched over almost four years since the Inspectorate General of Finance reported the theft from the Bukanga-Lonzo Agro-Industrial Park in 2020. The park was supposed to provide 22,000 jobs according to Reuters and the African Development Bank Group. It was intended to provide relief to the 28 million people who face acute food insecurity in DR Congo, a country that has been plagued by conflict for over 30 years.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cev441734l3o
Ex-Prime Minister of DR Congo Faces Harsh Labor as Corruption Conviction Takes Effect
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