Kinshasa: 20-year prison sentence requested for man for rape of his cousin

Kinshasa, July 14^th, 2025 (CPA).- Twenty (20) years in prison were requested Monday against a man for the rape of his cousin, during a trial before the High Court of Gombe, in the north of Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). « Your Honor, you are the last line of defense. What should we have resolved as a family that we have failed to resolve? It is a rape that some have tried to cover up. We ask you to sentence him to 20 years in prison with immediate arrest and a fine of $50,000, » declared the prosecutor. Present at the hearing, the defendant Moïse Mutombo swore his innocence and asked the court to acquit him. « I did not rape. » « This is my sister, and I demand justice be done, » he said. His lawyer, for his part, denounced the proceedings as « reckless and vexatious, » asserting that « the offense has not been established, either in fact or in law. » He added that there was « no report by a judicial police officer, no medical evidence, nor any demonstration of sexual intercourse, » emphasizing the lack of material evidence and calling the accusations unfounded. Furthermore, the civil party noted the inconsistencies in the statements made by the defendant, stating: « They tried to make people believe that it was a family conspiracy. When that approach failed, they talk about consensual intercourse. And as a last resort, they ask for leniency. » « We produced an audio recording acknowledged by the defendant himself. » « He no longer has a strategy; he’s just trying to escape justice, » added one of the victim’s lawyers. The court has taken the case under advisement and will render its decision after review within the time limit provided for by law. According to the statement of facts, the victim, Lamy Kapinga Prudence, a resident of Europe, had come to Kinshasa in January 2024 for her grandmother’s funeral when she was allegedly sexually assaulted by her cousin Moïse Mutombo. After the alleged act, the defendant allegedly fled before being arrested seven months later. He was subsequently granted provisional release for health reasons.