Belgian security expert Jean-Jacques Wondo has been acquitted and released from jail after being sentenced to death in the judgement deliver earlier in the trial for the attempted coup d’etat of 19th May, 2024.
Wondo had been accused of aiding and plotting the attempted coup with the main instigator Christian Malanga who was killed during the operation.
After deliberating on the case, the Kinshasa/Gombe Military Court delivered its verdict on Monday, January 27, 2025 when the sentence of the first judge was renewed.
The renewal of the death sentence against Jean-Jacques Wondo was viewed with suspicion by the Belgian government, which stressed that there were no proven charges for the conviction of its compatriot.
The Belgian government hence threatened and temporarily recalled its ambassador to the DRC while also summoning the resident DRC ambassador to Belgium for consultations.
The move has since force the Congolese Military Court to acquit Wondo due to a lack of evidence in his involvement in the attempted coup.