Nearly US$19.9 million has been returned to the Congolese state following a judicial order related to the corruption case of former Justice Minister Constant Mutamba, who is currently serving a three-year sentence of forced labour.
A letter from Rawbank to the Office of the Prosecutor General near the Court of Cassation confirmed the reversal of the funds. Acting on a formal requisition (N°3080/RMP V/0221/PGCCAS/WB/VON/KAL/2025), the bank debited account number 01145175001-47/USD belonging to Zion Construction and credited the amount to account number 05101-01024845401-28/USD under the title “Ministère de Justice V/C FRIVAO.”
The letter, signed by Gracia Subila, Head of Judicial and Arbitration Procedures, and Sandrine Dia, Head of the Judicial and Arbitration Litigation Department, stated: “We confirm that Rawbank has carried out the accounting of the reversal operation, debiting the Zion Construction account to the benefit of the Ministry of Justice account.”
The recovered funds are part of reimbursements tied to embezzlement and mismanagement schemes overseen by Mutamba during his tenure at the Ministry of Justice.
Military prosecutors accused him of channeling state money into private accounts through fraudulent construction contracts.
Mutamba, who was convicted earlier this year, is serving his sentence while the government continues to pursue additional financial recoveries linked to his case. The restitution of nearly US$20 million marks one of the largest single recoveries so far.
Critics, however, argue that this is a staged case.
They claim that corruption is endemic among government officials, noting that almost every minister and other high-ranking figures have amassed significant wealth through illicit means.
Many see the prosecution of Mutamba as selective and symbolic rather than a systemic crackdown.
The Prosecutor General’s office has pledged to continue efforts to track and recover stolen state assets, stressing that the fight against corruption remains central to restoring public trust in Congolese institutions.