Search
  1. Home
  2. Africa
  3. DRC

Former prime minister charged in Brussels court

    NAIROBI

    A former Congolese prime minister, Leon Kengo wa Dondo, has been charged by a Brussels court with money laundering during the reign of late President Mobutu Sese Seko, Belga news agency reported on Wednesday.

    The case against Kengo wa Dondo dates back to 9 July 1997, when Belgian justice officials opened an inquiry into money laundering allegations leveled against senior officials of the Mobutu administration by the government of Laurent-Desire Kabila, a former rebel leader who toppled Mobutu.

    Kabila also changed the name of the country from Zaire to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

    Kengo wa Dondo served three terms as prime minister under Mobutu, his final tenure ending on 2 April 1997 when he was replaced by Etienne Tshisekedi as the Ugandan and Rwandan-backed rebellion led by Kabila rapidly approached the capital, Kinshasa.

    Meanwhile on Wednesday, the Brussels court of appeals postponed a decision on the admissibility of a case against DRC former Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Yerodia Ndombasi on charges of inciting hatred against Rwandan Tutsis.

    When war erupted against the government of Kabila in August 1998, Yerodia called on the public "to crush" Rwandan Tutsis whom he described as "vermin". Rwanda, who had helped bring Kabila to power, entered the DRC in support of the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma) rebel movement.

    Yerodia was a longtime colleague of Kabila, who was assassinated on 16 January 2001.

    In April, the government of Kabila's son, Joseph, named Yerodia as one of four vice-presidents for the national transitional government, currently due to be installed on 30 June.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join