Mutamba Walks Out of FRIVAO Hearing at Court of Cassation

Kinshasa, July 27, 2026 - Former justice minister Constant Mutamba left a Court of Cassation hearing in the FRIVAO case in protest, accusing court clerks of inserting false mentions in his summons and saying he was denied the chance to raise preliminary objections.

Mutamba had demanded live RTNC broadcast and a public courtroom, citing constitutional provisions on open justice.

This detail was included in the mid-to-late July DRC briefing.

He is pursued alongside former FRIVAO coordinator Chancard Bukolela over contested disbursements, including a $14.3 million payment to Congo Energy.

He said he would rather “drink hemlock like Socrates” than accept what he called an irregular procedure.

At an earlier July 13 appearance he had already disputed proper service and access to the case file.