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| '''Vital Kamerhe''' (born 4 March 1959) is a ] politician |
'''Vital Kamerhe''' (born 4 March 1959) is a ] politician, currently serving as the minister of economy and the leader of the ] (UNC) opposition party. He served as the President of the ] from 2006 to 2009. After resigning from that office, he went into the opposition and founded the UNC. He ran in the ]. He supported ] as a coalition partner in the ], and became chief of staff when Tshisekedi took office.<ref name="africanews1">{{cite news | url=https://www.africanews.com/2019/01/29/drc-president-tshisekedi-names-coalition-ally-as-chief-of-staff// | title=DRC president Tshisekedi names coalition ally as Chief of Staff | first=Abdur Rahman | last=Alfa Shaban | date=29 January 2019 | work=Africanews | access-date=28 November 2023}}</ref> | ||
| In 2020, Kamerhe was charged with and convicted of embezzlement and other corruption offenses.<ref name="africanews2 /><ref name="africanews3" /><ref name="Taarifa-1" /><ref name="France24-1" /> The ] described his arrest as unprecedented in recent DRC history.<ref name="France24-2">{{cite news | url=https://www.france24.com/en/20200511-top-dr-congo-presidential-aide-kamerhe-goes-on-trial-for-corruption | title=Top DR Congo presidential aide Kamerhe goes on trial for corruption | date=11 May 2020 | work=France 24}}</ref><ref name="crg1">{{cite web | url=https://www.congoresearchgroup.org/fr/2020/05/07/note-danalyse-affaire-kamerhe-opacite-quand-tu-nous-tiens/ | title=Note d’analyse – Affaire Kamerhe : opacité, quand tu nous tiens | date=7 May 2020 | website=Congo Research Group | language=fr}}</ref> Kamerhe was temporarily replaced as chief of staff when his trial began,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-congo-politics-idUSKBN22O34R/ | title=Congo president replaces chief of staff amid graft trial | date=12 May 2020 | agency=Reuters}}</ref> and permanently replaced half a year after he was convicted.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://newscentral.africa/dr-congo-replaces-jailed-chief-of-staff-with-guylain-nyembo/ | title=DR Congo Replaces Jailed Chief of Staff with Guylain Nyembo | first=Olorunwa | last=Lawal | date=26 January 2021 | work=News Central TV}}</ref> Kamerhe appealed his conviction, and a second appeal led to his acquittal in 2022.<ref name="africanews4" /><ref name="africareport2" /> In 2023, he rejoined the government as Félix Tshisekedi's deputy prime minister in charge of the economy.<ref name="africanews3" /> | |||
| Kamerhe was charged with corruption in April 2020, and was incarcerated in the Makala Prison. Kamerhe was found guilty on 20 June 2020 and sentenced to 20 years of forced labour due to embezzling more than USD 48 million of public funds. It was the first time in the ] that a high-level politician was convicted of corruption. Despite the fact that he was convicted, he still is the chief of staff of President Tshisekedi. | |||
| He is acquitted in 2022, after 2 years, he is currently nominated as the vice prime minister and minister in Economy in the new gouvernment Sama 2. | |||
| ==Biography== | ==Biography== | ||
| Line 42: | Line 41: | ||
| ===Under Mobutu=== | ===Under Mobutu=== | ||
| Kamerhe started his political career in 1984 with the ] (Union |
Kamerhe started his political career in 1984 with the ] (UDPS). During the democratic transition under ], he was a member of the *Rassemblement des forces Sociales et Federalistes* (RSF) of ], and he was president of the youth wing of the Sacred Union of the Radical Opposition and Allies (]: ''Jeunesse de l'Union Sacrée de l'opposition Radicale et Alliés''; JUSORAL).<ref>{{cite report | title=Congo: The Electoral Dilemma | publisher=International Crisis Group | id=Africa Report N° 175 | date=5 May 2011 | url=https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/central-africa/democratic-republic-congo/congo-electoral-dilemma}}</ref> Between 1993 and 1995, he worked in several public functions. | ||
| ⚫ | * 1993: Director of the Cabinet of the Ministry of the Environment, Tourism and Directeur de Cabinet au Ministère de l’Environnement, Tourisme et Conservation de la Nature | ||
| Between 1993 and 1995 he worked in several public functions: | |||
| ⚫ | * 1994: Coordinator of the Prime Minister's Cabinet | ||
| ⚫ | * 1993 |
||
| ⚫ | * 1994–1995: Director of the Cabinet for the Minister of Higher Education and University, ]; member of Lunda Bululu's RSF | ||
| ⚫ | * 1994 |
||
| ⚫ | There is some controversy over whether he was a member of a Mobutist youth league (Frojemo) led by General Etienne Nzimbi Ngbale Kongo wa Basa, a fact his opponent often use to discredit him.<ref name="Fresh air"/> | ||
| ⚫ | * |
||
| ⚫ | There is some controversy over whether he was a member of a Mobutist youth league (Frojemo) |
||
| ===Under Kabila=== | ===Under Laurent Kabila=== | ||
| Under ], Kamerhe became the deputy chief of staff of Etienne-Richard Mbaya, the minister of reconstruction, then: | Under ], Kamerhe became the deputy chief of staff of Etienne-Richard Mbaya, the minister of reconstruction, then: | ||
| * From 1997 to 1998 : Director of the Service National (a quasi-military service set up by ]) | * From 1997 to 1998 : Director of the Service National (a quasi-military service set up by ]) | ||
| Line 57: | Line 55: | ||
| ====Role in the peace process of the Great Lakes region==== | ====Role in the peace process of the Great Lakes region==== | ||
| A founding member of the ] party in 2002, Vital Kamerhe was one of the leading figures in the peace process in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he was even nicknamed "le Pacificateur", the "Peacemaker". As Commissioner General of the Government responsible for monitoring the peace process in the ] he was one of the principal negotiators of the 2002 peace deal.<ref name="Peace_Deal"/> | A founding member of the ] party in 2002, Vital Kamerhe was one of the leading figures in the peace process in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he was even nicknamed "le Pacificateur", the "Peacemaker". As Commissioner General of the Government responsible for monitoring the peace process in the ] he was one of the principal negotiators of the 2002 peace deal.<ref name="Peace_Deal"/> In 2003, he was appointed Minister of Press and Information in the transitional government. | ||
| In 2003, he was appointed Minister of Press and Information in the transitional government. | |||
| ====Role in the 2006 election campaign==== | ====Role in the 2006 election campaign==== | ||
| In July 2004, he took on the leadership of the ] and prepared ]'s election campaign, which he received a lot of credit for. He was elected as parliamentarian in ] with one of the highest scores in the country and on December 29, 2006, he was elected president of the National Assembly.<ref name="Fresh air" /> | In July 2004, he took on the leadership of the ] and prepared ]'s election campaign, which he received a lot of credit for. He was elected as parliamentarian in ] with one of the highest scores in the country and on December 29, 2006, he was elected president of the National Assembly.<ref name="Fresh air" /> | ||
| ===As President of the National Assembly=== | |||
| ===Events since 2009=== | |||
| In 2009, as President of the National Assembly, he questioned Kabila and his own party over the Umoja Wetu operations that allowed several thousand Rwandan troops to deploy into the Congo without informing the parliament.<ref name="afp"/> On January 21, 2009, he released a statement to ] expressing his disappointment<ref name="Incensed"/> for the joint military operations between the Congolese and Rwandan army in the Kivu, conducted without informing the National Assembly and the Senate and thus violating the article 213 of the constitution.<ref name="Congo_Const"/> | In 2009, as President of the National Assembly, he questioned Kabila and his own party over the Umoja Wetu operations that allowed several thousand Rwandan troops to deploy into the Congo without informing the parliament.<ref name="afp"/> On January 21, 2009, he released a statement to ] expressing his disappointment<ref name="Incensed"/> for the joint military operations between the Congolese and Rwandan army in the Kivu, conducted without informing the National Assembly and the Senate and thus violating the article 213 of the constitution.<ref name="Congo_Const"/> | ||
| On March 25, 2009, he delivered a speech resigning as President of the National Assembly.<ref name="LAVDC"/><ref name="bbc"/> On December |
On March 25, 2009, he delivered a speech resigning as President of the National Assembly.<ref name="LAVDC"/><ref name="bbc"/> On 14 December 2010, Kamerhe officially quit the PPRD, announcing his candidacy for the ] and the creation of his new party,<ref name="Kam_decl"/> the UNC.<ref name="UNC_Fly"/> The UNC had its official inauguration in February 2011, and Kamerhe got 7.74% of the vote in the 2011 presidential election under its name. | ||
| ===Under Félix Tshisekedi=== | |||
| ⚫ | In the ] Kamerhe |
||
| ====Role in the 2018 election campaign==== | |||
| ⚫ | On 8 April 2020, Kamerhe was arrested and detained in Makala prison |
||
| ⚫ | In the ], Kamerhe supported the candidacy of UDPS leader ]. The UDPS allied with the UNC to form the ] coalition, and Tshisekedi agreed that if he won, he would make Kamerhe his prime minister.<ref name="africanews1">{{cite news | url=https://www.africanews.com/2019/01/29/drc-president-tshisekedi-names-coalition-ally-as-chief-of-staff// | title=DRC president Tshisekedi names coalition ally as Chief of Staff | first=Abdur Rahman | last=Alfa Shaban | date=29 January 2019 | work=Africanews | access-date=28 November 2023}}</ref> After the elections, Tshisekedi did become president, but the composition of parliament made it politically infeasible for him to name Kamerhe as prime minister.<ref name="africanews1" /> He instead made Kamerhe his chief of staff—one of the first senior positions he filled upon taking office.<ref name="africanews1" /><ref name="Kamale">{{Cite news|last=Kamale |first=Jean-Yves |date=20 June 2020 |title=Congo president's chief of staff guilty in corruption trial |newspaper=] |location=] |url=https://www.heraldextra.com/news/world/congo-presidents-chief-of-staff-guilty-in-corruption-trial/article_e357b465-0600-5420-a18f-ded25626a332.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621172823/https://www.heraldextra.com/news/world/congo-presidents-chief-of-staff-guilty-in-corruption-trial/article_e357b465-0600-5420-a18f-ded25626a332.html |archive-date=21 June 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
| ====Corruption trial==== | |||
| However, Kamerhe was provisionally released already in December 2021.<ref>{{cite news |title=DRC: Under what conditions has Vital Kamerhe been released? |url=https://www.theafricareport.com/154150/drc-under-what-conditions-has-vital-kamerhe-been-released/ |work=The Africa Report.com |date=7 December 2021}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | On 8 April 2020, Kamerhe was arrested and detained in Makala prison, facing charges of having embezzled up to $57 million from an infrastructure project.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Tasamba |first=James |date=12 April 2020 |title=DR Congo court remands president's chief of staff |agency=Anadolu Agency |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/dr-congo-court-remands-presidents-chief-of-staff/1801442 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621181252/https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/dr-congo-court-remands-presidents-chief-of-staff/1801442 |archive-date=21 June 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> Commenting on his arrest, the ] wrote: "Never in Congo's political history over the past two decades has such an important player on the political scene been put behind bars."<ref name="France24-2" /><ref name="crg1" /> On 20 June 2020, Kamerhe was found guilty of aggravated corruption, money laundering, and embezzling $48 million.<ref name="africanews2 /><ref name="africanews3" /><ref name="Taarifa-1" /><ref name="France24-1">{{Cite news|title=DR Congo court gives 20-year sentence to president’s chief of staff Kamerhe for graft |date=20 June 2020 |publisher=France24 |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20200620-dr-congo-court-gives-20-year-sentence-to-president-s-chief-of-staff-kamerhe-for-graft |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621170851/https://www.france24.com/en/20200620-dr-congo-court-gives-20-year-sentence-to-president-s-chief-of-staff-kamerhe-for-graft |archive-date=21 June 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> He was sentenced to twenty years of forced labuor and ten years of ineligibility to vote or hold public office.<ref name="africanews2">{{cite news | url=https://www.africanews.com/2020/08/08/vital-kamerhe-appeal-hearing-against-corruption-charges-postponed-again// | title=Vital Kamerhe appeal hearing against corruption charges postponed again | first=John Paul | last=Ging | date=8 August 2020 | work=Africanews}}</ref><ref name="Kamale" /><ref name="africanews3">{{cite news | url=https://www.africanews.com/2020/06/20/anti-corruption-trial-in-drc-kamerhe-sentenced-to-20-years-hard-labour/ | title=DR Congo president's ex-chief of staff jailed 20 years for corruption | first=Abdur Rahman | last=Alfa Shaban | date=21 June 2020 | work=Africanews}}</ref> One of his co-defendants, the Lebanese businessman Samih Jammal, was sentenced to twenty years of forced labour, to be followed by expulsion from the DRC.<ref name="Kamale" /> Another co-defendant, Jeannot Muhima Ndoole, was sentenced to two years of forced labour.<ref name="Kamale" /> The court also ordered the confiscation from the defendants' relatives of goods that it found to be proceeds of the defendants' crimes, noting that "the things produced by the offense can always be confiscated, regardless of the owner."<ref name="Taarifa-1">{{Cite news|title=DRC’s Vital Kamerhe Loses Fraud Case |newspaper=Taarifa |location=] |date=20 June 2020 |url=https://taarifa.rw/drcs-vital-kamerhe-loses-fraud-case/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621175137/https://taarifa.rw/drcs-vital-kamerhe-loses-fraud-case/ |archive-date=21 June 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
| Kamerhe appealed his conviction.<ref name="africanews2" /> ], the secretary general of the UNC<ref name="africanews2" /> and Kamerhe's brother-in-law,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theafricareport.com/17049/drc-whos-who-in-the-new-ministerial-crew/ | title=DRC: Who’s who in the new ministerial crew | first1=Romain | last1=Gras | first2=Stanis | last2=Bujakera Tshiamala | date=9 September 2019 | work=The Africa Report}}</ref> expressed confidence that Kamerhe's prosecution had been politically motivated.<ref name="africanews2" /> On 18 June 2021, in its first appeal decision, the Kinshasa/Gombe Court of Appeals upheld Kamerhe, Jammal, and Ndoole's convictions but reduced their sentences.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theafricareport.com/99354/drc-kamerhe-loses-his-appeal-and-his-party-threatens-to-drop-its-alliance-with-tshisekedi/ | title=DRC: Kamerhe loses his appeal and his party threatens to drop its alliance with Tshisekedi | first=Stanis | last=Bujakera Tshiamala | date=18 June 2021 | work=The Africa Report}}</ref> Kamerhe was conditionally released from prison in December 2021, on the grounds that his health had deteriorated and he needed medical care outside of prison while awaiting a second appeal.<ref name="africareport1">{{cite news |title=DRC: Under what conditions has Vital Kamerhe been released? |url=https://www.theafricareport.com/154150/drc-under-what-conditions-has-vital-kamerhe-been-released/ |work=The Africa Report |date=7 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220627103820/https://www.theafricareport.com/154150/drc-under-what-conditions-has-vital-kamerhe-been-released/ |archive-date=27 June 2022}}</ref> On 23 June 2022, in its second appeal decision, the Kinshasa/Gombe Court of Appeals acquitted Kamerhe and Jammal, saying there had not been enough evidence for a prosecution.<ref name="africanews4">{{cite news | url=https://www.africanews.com/2022/06/24/drc-vital-kamerhe-acquitted-of-embezzlement-conviction/ | title=DRC: Vital Kamerhe acquitted of embezzlement conviction | date=24 June 2022 | work=Africanews}}</ref><ref name="africareport2">{{Cite web |date=2022-06-27 |title=DRC: Keeping a low profile, Vital Kamerhe savours his freedom |url=https://www.theafricareport.com/217611/drc-keeping-a-low-profile-vital-kamerhe-savours-his-freedom/ |access-date=2022-10-19 |website=The Africa Report |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="usdos">{{cite report | url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/ | title=2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Democratic Republic of the Congo | publisher=U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor}}</ref> In its 2022 country report on the DRC, the ] took Kamerhe's acquittal as evidence that "officials frequently engaged in corrupt practices with impunity," presenting it as an example of how "ack of enforcement of court decisions in corruption cases contributed to impunity, as rulings were often overturned in appellate proceedings or dismissed due to procedural errors."<ref name="usdos" /> | |||
| On 23 June 2022, Kamerhe was acquitted. He was later pictured enjoying his newfound freedom surrounded by family – his wife, his children, his mother – as well as friends and collaborators, at one of his residences in the posh neighbourhood La Gombe.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-27 |title=DRC: Keeping a low profile, Vital Kamerhe savours his freedom |url=https://www.theafricareport.com/217611/drc-keeping-a-low-profile-vital-kamerhe-savours-his-freedom/ |access-date=2022-10-19 |website=The Africa Report.com |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
| ====Return to government==== | |||
| On 25 March 2023, |
On 25 March 2023, Félix Tshisekedi reappointed Kamerhe to his government, this time as deputy prime minister in charge of the economy.<ref name="africareport3">{{cite news |title=DRC: Vital Kamerhe’s spectacular comeback |url=https://www.theafricareport.com/296008/drc-vital-kamerhes-spectacular-comeback/ |work=The Africa Report |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328182011/https://www.theafricareport.com/296008/drc-vital-kamerhes-spectacular-comeback/ |archive-date=28 March 2023}}</ref> | ||
| ==Family== | ==Family== | ||
| Kamerhe is the brother-in-law of ].<ref name="africanews2" /> He married Amida Shatur on February 19, 2019. | |||
| He is married with Amida Shatur in February 19, 2019 | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 09:19, 29 November 2023
Congolese politician| His ExcellencyVital Kamerhe | |
|---|---|
 Vital Kamerhe (2010) | |
| Leader of the Union for the Congolese Nation | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office June 19, 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Speaker of the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| In office December 29, 2006 – March 26, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Luhaka Losendjola |
| Succeeded by | Evariste Boshab |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1959-03-04) 4 March 1959 (age 65) Bukavu, Belgian Congo |
| Political party | Union for the Congolese Nation |
| Spouse | Amida Shatur |
| Residence | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Website | http://www.vital-kamerhe.com/ |
Vital Kamerhe (born 4 March 1959) is a Congolese politician, currently serving as the minister of economy and the leader of the Union for the Congolese Nation (UNC) opposition party. He served as the President of the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2006 to 2009. After resigning from that office, he went into the opposition and founded the UNC. He ran in the 2011 presidential election. He supported Félix Tshisekedi as a coalition partner in the 2018 presidential election, and became chief of staff when Tshisekedi took office.
In 2020, Kamerhe was charged with and convicted of embezzlement and other corruption offenses. The Congo Research Group described his arrest as unprecedented in recent DRC history. Kamerhe was temporarily replaced as chief of staff when his trial began, and permanently replaced half a year after he was convicted. Kamerhe appealed his conviction, and a second appeal led to his acquittal in 2022. In 2023, he rejoined the government as Félix Tshisekedi's deputy prime minister in charge of the economy.
Biography
Early life and education
Born in Bukavu, Sud-Kivu, on March 4, 1959, Vital Kamerhe Lwa Kanyiginyi Nkingi is the son of Constantin Kamerhe Kanyginyi and Alphonsine Mwa Nkingi. Originally from the Shi community of the Walungu territory, he is married and father of 9 children.
He began his primary school in Bukavu and then in Goma. He then continued in the Kasai-Oriental, in Gandajika, where he finishes his primary school. School years 1975-1976 and 1976–1977, he attended the Institut Sadisana (former College St. Francois-Xavier) in Kikwit Sacré-Coeur, Bandundu province. He then moved to Kananga (Kasai-Occidental Province) and finally, after one year, to Mbuji-Mayi where he obtained his State degree in 1980 (Institut Mulemba). This experience led him to learn all four national languages of Congo namely Kikongo, Lingala, Kiswahili and Tshiluba. He also speaks fluent French.
From there he completed his studies at the University of Kinshasa, where he received his degree in Economics in 1987 with distinction. There he stayed as teaching assistant.
Political career
Under Mobutu
Kamerhe started his political career in 1984 with the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS). During the democratic transition under Mobutu Sese Seko, he was a member of the *Rassemblement des forces Sociales et Federalistes* (RSF) of , and he was president of the youth wing of the Sacred Union of the Radical Opposition and Allies (French: Jeunesse de l'Union Sacrée de l'opposition Radicale et Alliés; JUSORAL). Between 1993 and 1995, he worked in several public functions.
- 1993: Director of the Cabinet of the Ministry of the Environment, Tourism and Directeur de Cabinet au Ministère de l’Environnement, Tourisme et Conservation de la Nature
- 1994: Coordinator of the Prime Minister's Cabinet
- 1994–1995: Director of the Cabinet for the Minister of Higher Education and University, ; member of Lunda Bululu's RSF
There is some controversy over whether he was a member of a Mobutist youth league (Frojemo) led by General Etienne Nzimbi Ngbale Kongo wa Basa, a fact his opponent often use to discredit him.
Under Laurent Kabila
Under Laurent Kabila, Kamerhe became the deputy chief of staff of Etienne-Richard Mbaya, the minister of reconstruction, then:
- From 1997 to 1998 : Director of the Service National (a quasi-military service set up by Laurent Kabila)
- In 1998 : Finance Counselor at the Ministère de la Défense Nationale et Anciens Combattants, with the general Denis Kalume
and finally deputy commissioner in charge of MONUC affairs.
Role in the peace process of the Great Lakes region
A founding member of the PPRD party in 2002, Vital Kamerhe was one of the leading figures in the peace process in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he was even nicknamed "le Pacificateur", the "Peacemaker". As Commissioner General of the Government responsible for monitoring the peace process in the Great Lakes region he was one of the principal negotiators of the 2002 peace deal. In 2003, he was appointed Minister of Press and Information in the transitional government.
Role in the 2006 election campaign
In July 2004, he took on the leadership of the PPRD and prepared Joseph Kabila's election campaign, which he received a lot of credit for. He was elected as parliamentarian in Bukavu with one of the highest scores in the country and on December 29, 2006, he was elected president of the National Assembly.
As President of the National Assembly
In 2009, as President of the National Assembly, he questioned Kabila and his own party over the Umoja Wetu operations that allowed several thousand Rwandan troops to deploy into the Congo without informing the parliament. On January 21, 2009, he released a statement to Radio Okapi expressing his disappointment for the joint military operations between the Congolese and Rwandan army in the Kivu, conducted without informing the National Assembly and the Senate and thus violating the article 213 of the constitution.
On March 25, 2009, he delivered a speech resigning as President of the National Assembly. On 14 December 2010, Kamerhe officially quit the PPRD, announcing his candidacy for the 2011 presidential election and the creation of his new party, the UNC. The UNC had its official inauguration in February 2011, and Kamerhe got 7.74% of the vote in the 2011 presidential election under its name.
Under Félix Tshisekedi
Role in the 2018 election campaign
In the 2018 presidential election, Kamerhe supported the candidacy of UDPS leader Félix Tshisekedi. The UDPS allied with the UNC to form the Heading for Change coalition, and Tshisekedi agreed that if he won, he would make Kamerhe his prime minister. After the elections, Tshisekedi did become president, but the composition of parliament made it politically infeasible for him to name Kamerhe as prime minister. He instead made Kamerhe his chief of staff—one of the first senior positions he filled upon taking office.
Corruption trial
On 8 April 2020, Kamerhe was arrested and detained in Makala prison, facing charges of having embezzled up to $57 million from an infrastructure project. Commenting on his arrest, the Congo Research Group wrote: "Never in Congo's political history over the past two decades has such an important player on the political scene been put behind bars." On 20 June 2020, Kamerhe was found guilty of aggravated corruption, money laundering, and embezzling $48 million. He was sentenced to twenty years of forced labuor and ten years of ineligibility to vote or hold public office. One of his co-defendants, the Lebanese businessman Samih Jammal, was sentenced to twenty years of forced labour, to be followed by expulsion from the DRC. Another co-defendant, Jeannot Muhima Ndoole, was sentenced to two years of forced labour. The court also ordered the confiscation from the defendants' relatives of goods that it found to be proceeds of the defendants' crimes, noting that "the things produced by the offense can always be confiscated, regardless of the owner."
Kamerhe appealed his conviction. Aimé Boji, the secretary general of the UNC and Kamerhe's brother-in-law, expressed confidence that Kamerhe's prosecution had been politically motivated. On 18 June 2021, in its first appeal decision, the Kinshasa/Gombe Court of Appeals upheld Kamerhe, Jammal, and Ndoole's convictions but reduced their sentences. Kamerhe was conditionally released from prison in December 2021, on the grounds that his health had deteriorated and he needed medical care outside of prison while awaiting a second appeal. On 23 June 2022, in its second appeal decision, the Kinshasa/Gombe Court of Appeals acquitted Kamerhe and Jammal, saying there had not been enough evidence for a prosecution. In its 2022 country report on the DRC, the U.S. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor took Kamerhe's acquittal as evidence that "officials frequently engaged in corrupt practices with impunity," presenting it as an example of how "ack of enforcement of court decisions in corruption cases contributed to impunity, as rulings were often overturned in appellate proceedings or dismissed due to procedural errors."
Return to government
On 25 March 2023, Félix Tshisekedi reappointed Kamerhe to his government, this time as deputy prime minister in charge of the economy.
Family
Kamerhe is the brother-in-law of Aimé Boji. He married Amida Shatur on February 19, 2019.
References
- ^ Alfa Shaban, Abdur Rahman (29 January 2019). "DRC president Tshisekedi names coalition ally as Chief of Staff". Africanews. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ Ging, John Paul (8 August 2020). "Vital Kamerhe appeal hearing against corruption charges postponed again". Africanews.
- ^ Alfa Shaban, Abdur Rahman (21 June 2020). "DR Congo president's ex-chief of staff jailed 20 years for corruption". Africanews.
- ^ "DRC's Vital Kamerhe Loses Fraud Case". Taarifa. Rwanda. 20 June 2020. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020.
- ^ "DR Congo court gives 20-year sentence to president's chief of staff Kamerhe for graft". France24. 20 June 2020. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020.
- ^ "Top DR Congo presidential aide Kamerhe goes on trial for corruption". France 24. 11 May 2020.
- ^ "Note d'analyse – Affaire Kamerhe : opacité, quand tu nous tiens". Congo Research Group (in French). 7 May 2020.
- "Congo president replaces chief of staff amid graft trial". Reuters. 12 May 2020.
- Lawal, Olorunwa (26 January 2021). "DR Congo Replaces Jailed Chief of Staff with Guylain Nyembo". News Central TV.
- ^ "DRC: Vital Kamerhe acquitted of embezzlement conviction". Africanews. 24 June 2022.
- ^ "DRC: Keeping a low profile, Vital Kamerhe savours his freedom". The Africa Report. 2022-06-27. Retrieved 2022-10-19.
- "CSIS - The Road to Presidential Elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - Feb 2, 2011" "The question of the name is part of a pseudo-political campaign aiming at depicting Vital Kamerhe as a "rwandaise", hence enemy of the congolese people. Vital Kamerhe himself speaks about this issue during the conference held at the CSIS, in Washington DC on February 2nd, 2011. The question and answer related to this topic can be heard starting at 00:56:26"
- ^ " Élogieux cursus de Vital Kamerhe, président l’Assemblée nationale " Archived 2011-07-06 at the Wayback Machine, January 10, 2007, copy on CongoForum.be
- "Radio Okapi (2006)"
- Congo: The Electoral Dilemma (Report). International Crisis Group. 5 May 2011. Africa Report N° 175.
- ^ "Fresh air in Congolese politics"
- "CNN - DR Congo peace deal signed - December 17, 2002" Archived October 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, "accessed on 01/30/2011"
- "Call for DR Congo speaker to quit", AFP, 27 February 2009.
- "Kabila decision incensed Congolese", Sapa-AFP (IOL), 22 January 2009.
- ""Constitution de la République Démocratique du Congo"". Archived from the original on 2006-08-12. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
- "LAVDC Radio - Jeudi 26 mars 2009"
- "Congolese assembly speaker quits". BBC. 25 March 2009. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
- "DECLARATION POLITIQUE DE L’HONORABLE VITAL KAMERHE, PRESIDENT NATIONAL DE L’UNION POUR LA NATION CONGOLAISE, UNC, en sigle (Kinshasa, Mardi 14 décembre 2010)"
- "UNC Party Flyer - released on December 14, 2010"
- ^ Kamale, Jean-Yves (20 June 2020). "Congo president's chief of staff guilty in corruption trial". The Daily Herald. Provo, Utah. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020.
- Tasamba, James (12 April 2020). "DR Congo court remands president's chief of staff". Anadolu Agency. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020.
- Gras, Romain; Bujakera Tshiamala, Stanis (9 September 2019). "DRC: Who's who in the new ministerial crew". The Africa Report.
- Bujakera Tshiamala, Stanis (18 June 2021). "DRC: Kamerhe loses his appeal and his party threatens to drop its alliance with Tshisekedi". The Africa Report.
- "DRC: Under what conditions has Vital Kamerhe been released?". The Africa Report. 7 December 2021. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022.
- ^ 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Democratic Republic of the Congo (Report). U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.
- "DRC: Vital Kamerhe's spectacular comeback". The Africa Report. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023.
 Candidates in the 2011 Democratic Republic of the Congo presidential election | |
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