The Constitutional Court of the Democratic Republic of Congo has sentenced former Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo to 10 years of forced labour for embezzling up to $247 million in public funds, TRT Global reported on Tuesday. The verdict concludes a nearly four-year legal process.
Matata, who led the government from 2012 to 2016 under President Joseph Kabila, denied the charges, calling them politically motivated. The court also sentenced ex-Central Bank Governor Deogratias Mutombo and a South African businessman to five years of forced labour.
Matata and Mutombo were barred from holding public office for five years after serving their sentences, while the South African was ordered to be deported. Accotding to reports, the case stems from a 2020 investigation revealing that over $200 million allocated to an agro-industrial project in Bukangalonzo had been misused.
