Congo Prosecutor Accuses President’s Aide of $52 Million Theft
A Democratic Republic of Congo prosecutor accused President
Felix Tshisekedi’s chief of staff of embezzling more than $52 million in one of
the nation’s highest-profile corruption trials.
The charges against Vital Kamerhe, 61, stem from an
investigation into infrastructure contracts signed during the first 100 days of
Tshisekedi’s tenure last year. In a hearing that was broadcast across the
nation, Kamerhe denied all accusations of corruption and said the construction
projects were still in progress.
“I don’t touch the money,” Kamerhe told a court set up
outdoors in the main prison in the capital, Kinshasa, to adhere to social
distancing guidelines due to Covid-19. “I intervened in the name of the
president of the republic so that these projects would get done and we could
respond to the pressing needs of the Congolese people.”
Kamerhe, from Congo’s eastern province of South Kivu, has
been a powerful player in the country’s politics for more than 15 years. He
helped lead former President Joseph Kabila’s first presidential campaign in
2006, after which he became president of the National Assembly. Kamerhe broke
with Kabila over the latter’s handling of the conflict in eastern Congo in
2009. He then ran for president against his former boss in 2011, finishing
third.
Congo President’s Heir Apparent Is Arrested in Corruption
Probe
He became Tshisekedi’s chief of staff after the two men
brokered an agreement in 2018 that was supposed to let Kamerhe run for president
in 2023. If convicted he would no longer be eligible to run for the office.
Kamerhe is accused of embezzlement along with 78-year-old
Lebanese businessman Jammal Samih and another adviser to Tshisekedi, Jeannot
Muhima, 50. Samih is also accused of money laundering and corruption of a
public official. Both men have also denied wrongdoing.
The next hearing is set for May 25 so the defense can review
the state’s evidence.
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