DRC: Ex-president Kabila sues NGOs over money laundering claims

The former President Democratic Republic of Congo’s Joseph Kabila is planning to sue a media house and a group of NGOs for what he terms an act of defamation and manipulation on an alleged report that he siphoned off $138 million over five years.

In the report entitled Congo hold-up, Kabila together with his clan are implicated on over 3.5 million confidential bank documents in the scandal by the French online investigative media Mediapart and the NGO "Platform for the Protection of Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF)".

Kabila’s lawyers said they are now heading to court.

"The authors of the said report (Congo Hold-up) published by extract did not find any element, any precise and conclusive act concerning the honorary president of the republic," said Raphaël Nyabirungu, Joseph Kabila's lawyer.

"Following the serious and intentional violation of his fundamental rights as a citizen, our client reserves the right to seize incessantly the competent judicial authorities both in the Democratic Republic of Congo and abroad so that justice is done," the lawyer added.

Kabila’s close allies and supporters have vowed to protect the former president from any attack that they labeled tarnishing.

"You are aware that Kabila is a nationalist, Kabila is against the imperialists, he has worked with dignity for his people, so for these people there (the capitalists) he is not welcome. But, we as Congolese, as convinced Kabilists, we will defend him to the last drop of blood as Congolese," said Joseph Kokonyangi, pro-Kabila member of the Common Front for Congo.

This report was analyzed by 19 international media and five NGOs over a period of six months under the coordination of the European Investigative Collaborations (EIC) network.