Ex-DR Congo PM sentenced to 10 years’ forced labour over $245M embezzlement scandal
The Constitutional Court delivered its verdict on Tuesday, also convicting Deogratias Mutombo, ex-governor of the country’s central bank, who received a five-year forced labour sentence.
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A former Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Augustin Matata Ponyo, has been handed a 10-year sentence of forced labour after being convicted of misappropriating nearly $245 million in state funds.
The Constitutional Court delivered its verdict on Tuesday, also convicting Deogratias Mutombo, ex-governor of the country’s central bank, who received a five-year forced labour sentence. Both men are additionally barred from holding public office for five years following the completion of their sentences, according to AFP.
The charges stem from alleged financial mismanagement tied to the Bukanga-Lonzo Agro-Industrial Park—an ambitious project intended to strengthen the country’s food security and create tens of thousands of jobs. Launched in 2014, the initiative was billed as one of Africa’s largest agricultural ventures, but it was later abandoned amid reports of massive corruption.
Matata, who served as Prime Minister from 2012 to 2016, has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. His lawyer described the court’s decision as politically driven and unjust. Matata is currently the leader of the Leadership and Governance for Development (LGD) party and was a presidential hopeful in the 2023 elections before withdrawing.
Before becoming prime minister, he served as finance minister and earned international praise—including from the International Monetary Fund—for efforts to stabilize the Congolese economy.
The embezzlement allegations were first brought to light in 2020 by the country’s Inspectorate General of Finance. Investigators claimed that funds earmarked for the Bukanga-Lonzo project were diverted, undermining a development meant to address the food needs of more than 28 million Congolese facing acute food insecurity.
Despite the serious nature of the charges, Mutombo has yet to publicly respond to the ruling.
Under Congolese law, forced labour is permitted as a form of court-imposed punishment. The U.S. State Department notes this legal allowance, though it remains controversial among rights advocates.
The case highlights the persistent challenges of corruption and governance in DR Congo—a nation rich in natural resources but long plagued by conflict and systemic mismanagement.
