Indeed, Justicia ASBL, a human rights defense organization in the DRC, wants legal action against Augustin Kabuya, Secretary General of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), for committing "acts of corruption". According to the document, these acts involved offering vehicles or a promise of a reward in exchange for strict adherence to the party's directives for the senatorial and provincial governor elections that took place last Monday, April 29, in certain provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Continuing, "I believe that the timing and context chosen by this senior UDPS official to present his gifts are 'irremediable' indicators of corruption, according to Congolese law on the matter. These provincial deputies, who are public officials, would have received a present (these TOYOTA TXLs) for performing an act related to their function and mission, which is the voting for senators and governors," referring to Article 147 of the Congolese penal code, book 2.
"This scandalous act confirms the suspicions of voter corruption which the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) had, on February 28, 2024, alerted the public to cases of attempted corruption by certain senatorial candidates, governors, and deputy governors. Subsequently, the Attorney General at the Court of Cassation had instructed the Provincial Attorneys General to take practical measures for the repression of corruption during the election period," the statement reads.
For Justicia ASBL, the seizure of the jeeps by the National Intelligence Agency (ANR) should be an additional reason to initiate legal action against the perpetrator of these acts and their beneficiaries. The organization thus recommends to the CENI "to immediately annul the elections for the city of Kinshasa, referring to the election cancellation measures from last December against certain national and provincial deputies for acts of fraud and corruption."
In front of his party's activists last Wednesday, the Secretary General of the UDPS claimed that giving jeeps to the provincial deputies of his party "is not corruption, it's motivation." The ASBL is waiting for the UDPS to suspend Augustin Kabuya and any complicit deputies.
Gisèle Mbuyi
Gubernatorial Elections in Kinshasa: An NGO Calls for Legal Proceedings Against Augustin Kabuya for Acts of Corruption
InternetKinshasaPolitics - In a statement issued on Friday, May 3, 2024, a non-profit association, Justicia ASBL, recommended to the Matete Court of Appeal to "indict Augustin Kabuya, Secretary-General of the UDPS, as well as the provincial deputies of the city of Kinshasa, all members of the UDPS, who are alleged to have received vehicles and a promise of a reward in return from their party's Secretary-General, during the elections for senators and provincial governors that took place on April 29th."