The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Customs Regulations Board (DGDA) have arrested a French national, Hynaux Gaëtan Maxime Clément, for being in possession of US$200,000 which he dubiously acquired with the authorization of Minister of Sports Kabulo Mwana Kabulo.
Hynaux Gaëtan Maxime Clément was arrested by the DGDA on Thursday, 25th April 2024 at Kinshasa’s N’djili International Airport while on board of flight about to depart for Paris, France.
Minister of Sports Kabulo Mwana Kabulo acting together with the French national had connived to defraud the state by listing the latter as a “technical expert” who had been hired to transport the funds to make various payments for debts accrued during the national soccer team, Leopards supporters’ stay in Ivory Coast during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Hynaux Gaëtan has since been detained for violation of banking regulations with the funds seized as a precautionary measure then returned to the Central Bank of Congo.
The authorization signed by the hand of Kabulo Muana Kabulo violates banking regulations, in particular Regulation No. 003/18 modifying and supplementing the foreign exchange regulations of March 28, 2014 of the Central Bank of Congo.
This text stipulates: “Any natural or legal person cannot travel on the national territory with an amount in bank notes of foreign currencies equal to or greater than 10,000 USD or its equivalent in other foreign currencies; except in localities without operating points of commercial banks, other authorized financial institutions or representation of the Central Bank of Congo.
Then: “Amounts exceeding this ceiling must be subject to a bank transfer”.
A similar act as the one committed by Mwana Kabulo previously saw former Minister of Sports and former Minister of EPST Willy Bakonga, sentenced to three years in prison on April 30 for “money laundering” and “illicit transfer of capital to the foreigner” by the Court of Cassation.
