DRC: the Court of Cassation sanctions 3 judges for corruption
In the DRC, three magistrates from the court of appeal in the Haut-Lomami province, located in the south-east of the country, were sentenced to 5 to 7 years for corruption. This decision was rendered by the Court of Cassation on the night of October 9 to 10.
The case aroused strong indignation in September, when an audio recording was broadcast, revealing an argument between the three judges over a sum of 35,000 US dollars received from a litigant through a lawyer . The Attorney General at the Court of Cassation, Firmin Mvonde, ordered the arrest of the magistrates in the town of Kabinda, followed by their transfer to Kinshasa. Individuals involved in corruption, including the lawyer and a traditional leader, are currently on the run.
The three magistrates, including the president of the court of appeal, Emmanuel Tombo, were tried by the Court of Cassation, the highest judicial body in the country. Élie-Léon Ndomba Kabeya, President of the Court, stressed that this decision sends a strong message to magistrates to respect the rules.
Indeed, he affirmed their determination to fight against behavior contrary to the values of the judiciary, even among colleagues with more than 30 years of career, who seem not to have understood the importance of this lesson. In addition, the bank accounts of the convicts have been frozen and they will also have to pay damages amounting to tens of thousands of dollars.
In 2023, the general prosecutor’s office had put in place “green numbers” to denounce abuses by magistrates and other problems in the judicial system. Although this initiative was well received, unions expressed concerns about the risk of exposing magistrates to popular vindictiveness.
