In the Democratic Republic of Congo, national deputy Édouard Mwangachuchu Izi was sentenced this Friday, October 6, to the death penalty and the payment of 100 million US dollars for complicity with an insurrectional movement and treason. His co-accused, Captain Mushamalirwa of the national police, was acquitted.
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With our correspondent in Kinshasa, Kamanda wa Kamanda-Muzembe
This Friday, October 6, the main accused, Édouard Mwangachuchu, was not in the box. His co-accused, Captain Mushamalirwa, was present and was able to follow the last day of this trial with twists and turns, which had begun in March last.
The High Military Court recognized the participation of national deputy Mwangachuchu in the M23, an insurrectional movement described as terrorist by the government in Kinshasa. It is in the territory of Masisi, in the concession of this deputy from North Kivu, than a cache of weapons was found in early March. Other weapons and war munitions were also discovered a few days later in his residence in Kinshasa.
Sentence commuted to life imprisonment
This Friday, the court refused any mitigating circumstances, but did not strip the deputy of his Congolese nationality. According to the High Military Court, Édouard Mwangachuchu also holds Rwandan nationality.
Due to the moratorium in force in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the death penalty is no longer applied there, the MP’s conviction is therefore commuted to life in prison. As for Police Captain Mushamalirwa, he was simply acquitted and released immediately.
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