The trial began on Thursday before the Kinshasa military court, sitting in the Ndolo military prison where he is being held. Arrested by military intelligence at the end of May, the opponent is accused of treason and intelligence with Rwandan officers and the M23 rebellion. A rough montage, according to his relatives and his party.
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With our correspondent in Kinshasa, Pascal Mulegwa
The trial began in the presence of the accused in prisoner’s uniform. The prosecutor detailed the charges against the opponent: treason, attack on national defense and incitement of soldiers to commit acts contrary to discipline.
The first two counts are supported by WhatsApp messaging conversations. The prosecution, however, did not retain the illegal carrying of weapons, an act for which Salomon Kalonda had been arrested by the intelligence services, on May 31, on the tarmac of Nd’jili airport in Kinshasa.
” It was a manipulation pleads Maître Hervé Diakiese, his lawyer. It was a pretext which in reality aimed to neutralize Salomon Idi Kalonda Della and to take advantage behind an illegal detention to create an assembly of a procedure of which we will demonstrate the inaccuracy and especially its unfounded character in law. All of this set of facts are accusations that we are going to demonstrate to be false. Salomon Kalonda has nothing to do before any judicial authority in this country. He is innocent. »
Those close to the opponent and his party Together for the Republic denounce ” a cabal and crude montages of the regime to discredit Moïse Katumbi », Candidate declared for the presidential election scheduled for December 20, 2023. This first hearing was of short duration and took place with a reinforced military device around the prison.
The next hearing in this trial is scheduled for September 18. The time for the opponent’s lawyers to have access to all the documents in the file.
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