Kinshasa – A former adviser to the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) went on trial on Monday for alleged corruption in a case that erupted after the emergence of hidden camera footage.
Vidiye Tshimanga, 46, appeared in a Kinshasa court accompanied by eight lawyers to answer charges of passive corruption, influence peddling and causing offence to the head of state.
In September, the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and Swiss newspaper Le Temps published an investigation into Tshimanga, who was a special adviser to Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi.
Video footage released by the publications showed Tshimanga promising two unidentified people, who claimed to represent a Hong Kong-based conglomerate interested in minerals, to protect their investment in the DRC.
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“If we do business together, I will take my percentage of the investment,” Tshimanga said in the footage.
He also underlined his apparent close relationship with Tshisekedi, saying he had helped finance the latter’s 2018 presidential campaign.
The video provoked uproar on social media in the central African nation, which is rich in minerals but poor and suffering from endemic corruption.
The Congolese president’s office has said that the fight against corruption is a priority for Tshisekedi.
Tshimanga has denied wrongdoing and said his words had been taken out of context.
The court is due to return its decision in 10 days.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Pixabay
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