Constant Mutamba's trial delayed to July 27 over $20 million FRIVAO fund misappropriation

Former DRC justice minister Constant Mutamba appeared before the Court of Cassation in Kinshasa on 13 July 2026. He and former FRIVAO coordinator Chancard Bolukola (also referred to as Bukolela) are charged with diverting more than $20 million from the Fund for the Repair and Compensation of Victims of Ugandan Illicit Activities (FRIVAO), money intended for victims in Kisangani. The prosecution alleges payments to companies such as Congo Energy, the Institute for Conservation of Nature, Divo SARL, Tropic Architecture and a provincial assembly, totaling roughly $14.3 million, $4 million, $1 million, $0.7 million and $0.2 million respectively.

The court postponed the substantive hearing to 27 July 2026 to consider procedural matters, including Mutamba’s request for access to the case file. Earlier procedural steps merged a related case from the Kinshasa appellate court into the Cassation proceedings. Mutamba, previously sentenced to three years for fund misappropriation, appeared standing despite earlier reports of ill health, prompting public debate over his condition. The case remains pending, with the defendants presumed innocent until a final judgment.