DR Congo presidential aide gets 20 years for graft

KINSHASA: A top aide to DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi was handed 20 years hard labour for corruption on Saturday in a case that has tested the government´s anti-graft credentials.

Vital Kamerhe, 61, who served as the president´s chief of staff, was convicted of diverting more than $50 million of public funds, the court in Kinshasa said. Much of the money was earmarked for building 1,500 social housing units under a programme announced by Tshisekedi after his inauguration in January 2019.

The case marks the first time a figure considered untouchable in Congolese political life — Kamerhe was also a key ally of former president Joseph Kabila — has been tried and convicted for corruption. Kamerhe´s French lawyer, Pierre-Olivier Sur, denounced what he called a “show trial” and an “expedited process broadcast direct on television. Sur and his Congolese counterpart said on June 11 they would call Kamerhe´s situation to the attention of a UN panel probing cases of arbitrary detention.