CORRUPTION CHARGES COULD OUST SOME MINISTERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 002146

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2014
TAGS: PGOV ECON KCOR CG
SUBJECT: CORRUPTION CHARGES COULD OUST SOME MINISTERS


Classified By: Poloff Edward Bestic for Reasons 1.5 B and D


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Parliament is preparing to vote, November
25 or 26, on a report identifying six ministers and President
Kabila's Chief of Staff as involved in corruption. If the
investigating committee's report is accepted by the
Parliamentary plenary session, the ministers will be
dismissed, and President Kabila likely will also relief his
Chief of Staff. Ousting the six ministers could spark a
wider cabinet shuffle, for which at least some of the
components, particularly the RCD, seem prepared. If these
individuals do lose their jobs--an outcome that is possible
but not at all certain--it would be a positive development,
because it will set a precedent in terms of good governance
and parliamentary oversight. END SUMMARY.

Kabila Threatens Action
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2. (U) Amidst much media fanfare, National Assembly president
Olivier Kamitatu delivered to President Joseph Kabila on Nov.
23 the findings of a parliamentary investigation of official
corruption. (Note: Kamitatu is also secretary-general of
Jean-Pierre Bemba's Congo Liberation Movement (MLC). End
Note.) Kabila's spokesman, Kudura Kasongo, issued a press
statement the same day confirming receipt of the report and
promising that the president would "draw conclusions" from
it, "in accordance with the law." The statement reminded
readers that Kabila wrote to parliament on May 19 about the
problem of official corruption and warned at that time that
anyone who broke the law would be brought to justice.
Meanwhile, the Nov. 24 headline of pro-Kabila daily
"L'Avenir" read, "Joseph Kabila Without Pity - Corrupt
Ministers and Officials to Prison."

Parliament to Vote
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3. (C) Kamitatu told the Ambassador at a dinner November 23
that he plans to present the report at a plenary of the
National Assembly commission on Nov. 26, and is working to
arrange a straight yes-or-no vote on its findings and
recommendations. Senior parliamentary figures already
expressed their support for the document in closed session,
but Kamitatu is continuing to lobby behind the scenes because
the final outcome is still unclear. (Note: Kamitatu's
cabinet director told poloff the plenary could take place
Nov. 25. End Note.)

The Lineup
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4. (C) Thomas Luhaka, MLC spokesman and leader of its
parliamentary group, told poloff Nov. 24 that the report
cites senior officials from all the major factions. The list
includes: from Kabila's PPRD, presidency chief of staff
Evariste Boshab and energy minister Kalema Lusona; from the
MLC, public works minister Jose Endundo; from the RCD-G,
higher education minister Joseph Mudumbi (and not defense
minister Jean-Pierre Ondekane, a name cited in the press);
from the RCD-N, foreign trade minister Roger Lumbala; and
from the unarmed political opposition, mines minister Eugene
Diomi and transport minister Joseph Olengankhoy. Luhaka said
the allegations against Endundo are not as serious as the
others and Bemba wants the National Assembly to "distinguish"
between individuals and hold public hearings, but Kamitatu
fears that if the MLC defends Endundo, the other factions
will follow suit and stick up for their own ministers. Luhaka
said one of the cases in the report involves a $40m debt owed
to SNEL, the electricity parastatal, by the government of
Congo-Brazzaville. According to Luhaka, one thing the report
does not mention is that a top SNEL official fingered Kabila
himself, as well as his sister Janet, Congo-B President
Sassou Nguessou, and Sassou's cousin in this scam, whereby
Congo-B paid less than the full amount and Kabila family
members in turn received a handsome payment for themselves.
Luhaka understands his own chief, Bemba, may also be
implicated in this deal, further complicating matters.

RCD-G Eager to Fire its Own
--------------

5. (C) South Kivu vice-governor Thomas Nziratimana of the
RCD-G told poloff Nov. 23 that RCD-G leader Ruberwa and his
supporters have wanted to axe Mudumbi and Ondekane for
months, because they "betrayed" the RCD-G by actively
opposing Ruberwa's decision to boycott the transitional
government in August. (Note: This came days after the Aug.
13 massacre of Congolese refugees in Burundi. End Note.)
Between Ruberwa's indecision and the RCD-G's relative
weakness, the party did not remove the two immediately, but
the taint of corruption provides a handy pretext for removing
them that simultaneously limits Ondekane's and Mudumbi's
chances of taking supporters with them. Adolphe Onusumba, a
former president of the RCD-G and currently vice-president of
the National Assembly, is the leading candidate to replace
Ondekane. Nziratimana commented wryly that Onusumba is eager
to get the job, not because he feels strongly about
Ondekane's incompetence but rather as a chance to grab money
and power.


COMMENT
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6. (C) Very few public figures in the DRC are blameless when
it comes to questions of corruption. In that sense, the
investigative report may be seen as more a pretext than a
real reason for sacking ministers. Kabila has reportedly
been looking to replace Boshab for some time, possibly with
former information minister Kikaya Bin Karubi. Likewise, the
RCD-G has been itching to remove some of its own ministers
for months. If the ministers identified as corrupt are
fired--an outcome that is possible but not at all certain--it
would be a positive development, however, because it sets a
useful precedent in terms of good governance and
parliamentary oversight. END COMMENT.
MEECE