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CONGO-POLITICS FILE PHOTO: Jean-Marc Kabund, secretary general of Congolese main opposition party the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), speaks during a press conference in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, January 8, 2019. REUTERS/Baz Ratner/File Photo
A Democratic Republic of Congo politician Jean-Marc Kabund, a former close associate of President Félix Tshisekedi, has been sentenced to 84 months of penal servitude, the equivalent of seven years in jail, just three months to the country’s scheduled General Election.
The Court of Cassation in Kinshasa handed down the penalty on Wednesday in what his lawyers said on Thursday was a surprise to the former pillar of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), Tshisekedi’s party, of which Kabund was interim chairperson.
Kobund had replaced Tshisekedi at the helm of the party after the Congolese leader took a leave of absence when he was declared president in January 2019.
But since then, things had turned upside down for him.
Read: DRC ex-minister turned opposition MP found deadLast month, the public prosecutor had requested a three-year prison sentence for him. On Wednesday, the sentence handed down is not subject to appeal, meaning he will be behind bars at least until 2030, unless he is pardoned.
This is an extremely harsh decision, especially as there is no appeal,” the lawyer added.
Kabund was not present for the verdict, but in a hearing last month defended himself and repeated his remarks.
“I have asked the people to do everything in their power to ensure that Mr Tshisekedi is excluded from the next elections, because I believe that the country is in great danger under his leadership,” he told the court in August.
Congo is expected to hold a general election on December 20 in which Tshisekedi is likely to seek a second term. Political tensions have been rising ahead of the vote.
An opposition spokesperson was shot dead in the capital Kinshasa in July, while opposition parties have held violent demonstrations denouncing irregularities in voter registration.
Kabund was sentenced by the Court of Cassation, one of Congo’s highest courts, which does not allow appeals.
He had announced his intention to run for president as head of his “Alliance for Change” party in the upcoming vote.
“The presidency is in no way concerned by court decisions,” said Tina Salama, spokesperson for Tshisekedi. “It is neither a plaintiff nor a civil party in this case and therefore cannot comment on it.”
He faced counts, including offending the country’s institutions and insulting the Head of State. These charges were brought against him after he made scathing comments about President Tshisekedi and parliament in July 2022.
Read: Tshisekedi’s headache in quest to win upcoming presidential pollIn that month, while hosting a press conference to launch his political party Alliance pour le Changement in front of television cameras, Kabund had denounced “the lack of a clear vision, notorious incompetence and institutionalised mismanagement characterised by recklessness, irresponsibility, enjoyment and predation at the top of the State” and had declared “Félix Tshisekedi a danger for the State”.
Although these are strong words, Kabund stands by them. He repeated them again during these appearances, while complaining about the legal troubles and concern of his wife, who has been charged by Kinshasa Vice-Governor Gérard Mulumba, notably for “public insults”.
This former executive of the ruling party was one of the architects of Félix Tshisekedi’s victory as the head of the country in January 2019. He played an important role in the ousting of former president Joseph Kabila’s coalition Common Front for Congo (FCC).
Read: Kabila plays wait-and-see on DRC pollsKabund played one of the central roles in setting up the current parliamentary majority. He has been held in Makala prison in Kinshasa since 9 August 2022.
He began to have problems after he was ousted from the UDPS and from his position as first vice-president of the National Assembly in 2022.
Having joined the opposition, he gradually radicalised his views on the Congolese authorities. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).