Augustin Matata Ponyo, the former prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been handed a 10-year sentence of forced labor following a corruption conviction.
The Congolese Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday that Matata, alongside Deogratias Mutombo—the ex-governor of the country’s central bank—embezzled approximately $245 million (£182 million) in public funds.
Matata’s legal team described the verdict to Reuters as unjust and driven by political motives.
A significant portion of the stolen money was linked to a large-scale agricultural project aimed at addressing the nation’s persistent food insecurity.
Matata led the DRC government from 2012 to 2016 and currently leads the Leadership and Governance for Development (LGD) party.
Before becoming prime minister, he served as finance minister and earned commendations from the International Monetary Fund for his role in stabilizing the country’s economy.
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Deogratias Mutombo, who formerly led the central bank, was also sentenced to five years of forced labor in connection with the same corruption case. He has not publicly responded to the verdict.
According to the US State Department, forced labor is a legally sanctioned criminal penalty in the Democratic Republic of Congo when imposed by a court.
Both Mutombo and Matata have been prohibited from holding public office for five years following the completion of their forced labor sentences, AFP reports.
Matata, who initially ran against President Felix Tshisekedi in the 2023 election before withdrawing, has continuously denied all allegations.
This case has unfolded over nearly four years, starting when the Inspectorate General of Finance exposed the misappropriation of funds in 2020 linked to the Bukanga-Lonzo Agro-Industrial Park.
The park was one of the continent’s largest agricultural projects, with the African Development Bank projecting it would create 22,000 jobs.
Its goal was to ease the severe food insecurity faced by 28 million Congolese, in a country troubled by decades of conflict following the 1994 Rwandan genocide.