AT THE law courts in Lubumbashi, the second-biggest city in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the advocates wear smart black gowns with the stiff white collars and bands that mark their profession. The courthouse, built by the Belgians in the 1920s, is a grand affair, all white and Art Deco. Yet this outward appearance of a system of law masks the reality: in Congo, naked power is all that matters, and the law is subservient to it.
That is clear from the treatment of Moise Katumbi, the former governor of Katanga (of which Lubumbashi is the capital) and a contender for the Congolese presidency, which is meant to change hands in November at the end of Joseph Kabila’s second term. But Mr Kabila, it seems increasingly clear, intends to hold onto the presidency—defying a constitution that says fairly clearly that he should step down—and to crush any opposition that gets in the way.
On June 22nd Mr Katumbi was convicted, in absentia, of selling a house that was not his and sentenced to 36 months in jail. The case appeared suddenly, barely a month after the government had accused him of hiring American mercenaries and plotting a coup. It...Continue reading
Source: Middle East and Africa http://ift.tt/28YFQ5a
EmoticonEmoticon