DRC: Mutinga calls for the creation of a « National Financial Office »

The president of the Party of Democrats for Good Governance (PDG) and president of the political group Alliance for Democratic Alternation (AAD) is campaigning for the creation, in the DRC, of ​​a « National Financial Office. Modeste Mutinga Mutwishayi believes that by taking inspiration from this French experience, the new head of state, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi can succeed in debunking the system of corruption and embezzlement of public funds.

Stalking embezzlers and corrupters
Indeed, this former senator starts from the deplorable statement that all the initiatives undertaken to fight against corruption and limit the pouring of revenue have not been effective since Joseph Kabila. And this, for the simple reason that these mechanisms put in place to counter this double scourge should be activated, by the same personalities who benefit from this system.

The twofold consequence is that the facilitators found themselves at the same time judge and party and the impact of their action on the ground will have been non-existent. In other words, all their actions were stifled in the bud.

« Today, with the creation of a National Financial Office, President Félix Tshisekedi can innovate, by setting up an autonomous structure, led by honest people – I think there are still some in the DRC – to track down to repress and punish all acts related to corruption and the pouring of public revenues, without sparing their actors », he proposed.

Collect billions of dollars
The cost of corruption and embezzlement of public funds amounts to billions of dollars a year in the DRC. Not to mention the millions of dollars that tax evasion costs to the Congolese state or the billions of Congolese francs from value-added tax fraud.

In this regard, Modeste Mutinga is revolted and calls: « These figures compel us to face this truth: the control of corruption and tax evasion is a major challenge for the DRC which wants to rebuild under the presidency of Felix Tshisekedi « .

Hence, the need for a large-scale action to stand out from the system that has always prevailed in the DRC. This also means setting up a special structure with a specific mission, not attached to the traditional services of the Ministry of Justice.

From the Prosecutor’s Office to the Financial Brigade
In order to support the work of the National Financial Office, Modeste Mutinga advocates in support the creation of a National Financial Brigade. The latter will be supposed to participate in the investigations of the judicial police services, mainly in financial matters, and also in criminal matters.

« This brigade will be primarily positioned on the fight against financial crimes, such as the abuse of social good, fraud, breach of trust, weakness, corruption, favoritism, trading in influence, embezzlement. funds, clandestine work, lack of justification of resources, money laundering … « , he insisted.

Moreover, according to Modeste Mutinga, this same brigade should also extend its efforts to the investigation of other crimes and offenses of delinquency and organized crime, with lucrative motives, such as the trafficking of narcotic substances, procuring, counterfeiting, counterfeit money, stolen objects (arts, vehicles, …), stolen goods, cybercrime.

To support its innovative initiative, Modeste Mutinga recalls that in France, the justice system set up in 2014 its national financial prosecutor, a prosecutor with national jurisdiction wanted by François Hollande after the scandal of the Cahuzac case to fight against corruption and tax evasion.

In the speech she gave to the installation of the leaders of this national financial prosecutor’s office, the French Minister of Justice at the time, in this case Christiane Taubira, said she wanted to make the national financial prosecutor a « force of strike, combining speed and efficiency.

Emilie MBOYO