Kinshasa, July 6th, 2026 (CPA). – The Court of Cassation of the Democratic Republic of Congo has summoned former Minister of Justice Constant Mutamba and the Acting Coordinator of the Fund for the Reparation and Compensation of Victims of Uganda’s Illicit Activities in the DRC (FRIVAO), Chançard Bolukola, to appear before it at a public hearing scheduled for July 13th, 2026, according to a summons consulted by CPA on Monday. « I, the undersigned Kimbota Kasavubu, Registrar of the Court of Cassation, hereby issue a summons to Mr. Constant Mutamba Tungunga, (…) currently detained and hospitalized (…), and Mr. Chançard Bolukola Osony, to appear before the Court of Cassation, sitting in criminal matters at first and final instance, during its public hearing on July 13th, 2026, at 9:30 a.m., » the document read.
On May 19th, the former Minister of Justice had been invited to appear as a witness before the Court of Appeal in a case involving the alleged embezzlement of funds belonging to the Fund for the Reparation and Compensation of Victims of Uganda’s Illicit Activities in the DRC (FRIVAO). At the time, the court registrar disclosed that Constant Mutamba had stated that he « would not appear » and that the court « could do whatever it wished, » while submitting medical documents attesting to his health condition. Following the opinion of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Court ruled that there was no need to verify the facts reported by the registrar and proceeded with the hearing. According to the summons issued by the Court of Cassation, FRIVAO’s Acting Coordinator, Chançard Bolukola, has also been ordered to appear on the same date. He is accused of having awarded public contracts in a non-transparent manner to companies suspected of being fictitious, as well as to certain public institutions. According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, he allegedly misappropriated nearly USD 15 million through transfers to Congo Énergie, USD 4 million transferred to the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN), USD 200,000 allocated to the Tshopo Provincial Assembly, USD 1.024 million paid to Divo for the production of a film, and USD 2 million transferred to Global Assurance Service.