Prosecutors Seek Next Legal Steps After Mutamba’s Absence

Former Justice Minister Constant Mutamba failed to appear before the Kinshasa/Gombe Court of Appeal on Tuesday after a new summons in the FRIVAO trial, a case examining alleged embezzlement of funds meant to compensate victims of Uganda’s illegal activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to prosecutors, Mutamba allegedly refused to comply with the summons and made threatening remarks to the officer and clerk sent to notify him. The prosecution argued that his reported condition did not appear consistent with the medical report previously used to justify his absence.

The court is now moving to the next phase of proceedings. Prosecutors requested time to prepare submissions on the unanswered summons, while judges continued the substantive investigation by hearing witnesses from Rawbank, the bank through which some disputed transactions allegedly passed.

Mutamba’s testimony has been viewed as important because FRIVAO’s interim director previously told the court that some payments were made on instructions from the former justice minister, including verbal directives. Earlier reporting by ACP also said the case had already been postponed after Mutamba’s absence at a previous hearing.

FRIVAO was created to manage compensation linked to Uganda’s illegal activities in Congo. The wider reparations process follows a 2022 International Court of Justice ruling ordering Uganda to pay the DRC compensation for damage caused during past armed activities on Congolese territory.

Prosecutors allege that more than $50 million may have been misused in the FRIVAO case. Several people have already been questioned, and the court’s next decisions could determine how Mutamba’s continued absence affects the direction of the trial.