Congo’s highest court slams presidential candidate a seven-year-jail sentence

Source: Reuters.

Kadi Diko, the lawyer of DR Congo’s presidential candidate, Jean-Marc Kabund has said on 13 September, 2023 that his client has been sentenced to seven years in prison by the Court of Cassation, one of Congo’s highest courts on 12 charges, among them insulting the President, Felix Tshisekedi and spreading false rumours.

“The most serious offences according to the court were spreading false rumours and contempt for head of state and parliament. This is an extremely harsh decision, especially as there is no appeal.” Kadi Diko stressed.

Kabund who has been in Kinshasa’s main prison since August after calling the President a “danger” and criticised his government in a speech was not present for the verdict, but had repeated his remarks last month in a hearing to defend himself.

Part of the remarks was “I have demanded the people to do everything in their power to ensure that President Felix Tshisekedi is excluded from the next election, because I believe that the country is in great danger under his leadership”.

Kabund had announced he will be a candidate for the country’s presidential election to be organized on December 20, under the banner of his Alliance for Change party, merely a year old.

Tshisekedi is likely to seek a second term. Political tensions are said to have been on the rise ahead of the poll.

Kabund was a close associate of President Felix Tshisekedi and a former vice president of parliament.