Former Justice Minister’s graft case postponed

The trial of DRC's former Minister of Justice Constant Mutamba has been postponed for two weeks after its opening hearing in a Kinshasa court, reports africanews. Mutamba stepped down last month following an investigation into allegations he had embezzled $19m. He’s accused of stealing funds intended to finance the construction of a prison in the northern city of Kisangani. Mutamba has denied the allegations, claiming the case against him is part of a plot by the Rwandan Government. He also accused Rwanda of trying to poison him. Earlier this year Mutamba called for the use of the death penalty for journalists who covered the actions of Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in the east. Posting on social media, Mutamba said that anyone who reports on ‘the activities of the Rwandan army and its M23 auxiliaries, will now suffer the full force of the law’. Appointed in 2024, Mutamba was a Presidential candidate the year before. He previously positioned himself as an anti-corruption figure in a country whose development has been stifled by chronic corruption, leaving its population of more than 100m people struggling with high poverty and hunger levels despite its rich minerals.