Former DR Congo Minister of Justice Alexis Thambwe Mwamba has refuted assertions suggesting that opposition presidential candidate Moïse Katumbi’s Congolese nationality is not authentic.
In their bid to invalidate his candidature ahead the upcoming 20 December polls, Katumbi’s opposers have petitioned his eligibility to run for President requesting the Constitutional Court to eliminate him from the presidential race as he does not qualify to possess a Congolese national identity document.
However, Thambwe Mwamba, Minister of Justice at the time, has come out to indicate that he had issued Katumbi with the Congolese national identity document after confirming the former Katanga Governor had no extra nationalities.
In an interview with French media outlet RFI, Thambwe Mwamba has since declared as unfounded the debate over Katumbi’s Congolese nationality.
“There was no proof whatsoever that Moïse Katumbi was Italian” Thambwe Mwamba said.
In their petitions for the invalidation of Katumbi’s candidacy, a little-known Tshivuadi Mansanga Junior and fellow presidential runner Noel Tshiani have alleged that Katumbi is holds Italian nationality.
Although, Katumbi’s lawyer Éric Dupond-Moretti wrote to the Italian authorities at the San Vito Dei Norman Municipality who confirmed that the former Katanga Governor had never been an Italian citizen.
