Former vice-president of the DR Congo National Assembly Jean-Marc Kabund has been sentenced to seven (7) years in prison with hard labour for alleged contempt of President Fèlix Tshisekedi.
In a trial that has gone on since last year, the court finally gave it’s verdict in the case with Tshisekedi’s former ally, Kabund, now sent to prison in a verdict that has been widely described to be harsh.
“For the offense to the Head of State, four months, the propagation of false rumors, 16 months. For each offense, the Court retained the sentence, it made an accumulation,” said Maître Kadi Diko, lawyer for Kabund.
“The sentence is severe, 84 months is severe,” Diko regrets.
An appeal against the sentence is highly anticipated from the Kabund and defense legal team who hope for the acquittal of their client with the case lacking necessary evidence to amount to conviction.
Kabund has been convicted for a heavy set of charges amounting twelve among them, contempt towards the institutions of the DR Congo, in particular the Parliament, the Government, as well as an offense of contempt against President Tshisekedi.
These charges emanate from a statement made by Kabund during a press conference in July 2022.
