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DRC: Tshisekedi covering up embezzlement scandals in his government
Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi.
In late April, news broke that
former Congolese Minister of Finance, Nicolas Kazadi, and other senior
officials in the government were accused of embezzlement of public funds, and
were subjects of an investigation, and therefore banned from travelling out of
the country.
They were accused of
overbilling a water drilling project, effectively embezzling over USD71
million.
However, in the night of June
30, it was reported that Kazadi, discreetly left DRC, on a commercial flight to
Paris. The Great Lakes Eye investigation desk confirmed that Kazadi did leave
DRC, claiming that he was going to France for medical treatment, an excuse that
facilitated his escape.
The news shook Kinshasa, with
many asking themselves why Kazadi tactfully left the country, and who was
behind his escape.
The former Minister of Finance
was one of the most powerful figures in Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi's
first term, and a close ally to many in his government. However, Kazadi was not
reappointed in the new government, because of his embezzlement case.
According to a source from
Kinshasa, what fueled Kazadi’s fast arranged escape was the ongoing decline of
Congo Airways.
The Congolese national carrier
has been stricken with chronic problems. It failed to purchase new aircrafts,
and risks losing the International Air Transport Association (IATA) license by
September 16.
It is reported that more than
USD68 million was supposed to be injected in the ailing airline. But the money
which was in Kazadi’s control as Finance Minister at the time, vanished without
any plausible explanation.
It was only a matter of time
for the issue to come to light, and Kazadi would have been forced to explain
where the money went, and his involvement in the deterioration of the airline.
Besides the Congo airways
saga, Kazadi was accused of mismanagement from Tshisekedi’s opposition. It was
reported that the Congolese Government spent 22 per cent of revenues on
security in 2023, funds that were used to purchase ammunitions, drones, war
planes, among others, to solely fight the M23 rebels in the east.
Under Tshisekedi’s orders,
Kazadi allocated too much money to the war effort while Congolese citizens on
the other side suffer from hunger, insecurity as well as bad governance.
The solution to avoid
accountability to all these finance issues was simple; Kazadi’s escape - which
was orchestrated and facilitated by Tshisekedi himself.
Tshisekedi’s first term was
characterized by corruption cases especially from members of his government and
family. Kazadi who was in most cases involved in these cases, could potentially
testify against all these individuals. His escape only benefited the President
and his government.
It comes to no one’s surprise
that corruption and embezzlement run deep in Tshisekedi’s government, and is
only rewarded by impunity.
A 2022 report by the inspectorate General of Finance (IGF) revealed that nearly $800 million is lost annually from the public treasury because of massive embezzlement.
