The trial of Salomon Kalonda Della, the special advisor to popular opposition leader Moise Katumbi, failed to take off in Kinshasa on Thursday as the prosecution team claimed it was not ready.
Observers are shocked that Salomon’s charges have changed from those the military initially announced in June 2023 several days after he was arrested on May 30, 2022.
One observer has described Salomon’s treatment as a political witchhunt aimed at denting the prospects of Ensemble pour la République leader Moise Katumbi ahead of the December 20, 2023 presidential elections.
Salomon was brutally kidnapped from the tarmac of N’djili International Airport in May and bundled into a Land cruiser before being thrown into military custody at DEMIAP.
Herve Diakiese, a political commentator, has described the trial of Salomon as political.
Diakiese said says if the DRC was a serious law abiding country, Salomon should not be in prison.
He says it is a mockery that Salomon’s hearing was suspended and postponed to September 18, 2023 instead of being dismissed for lack of merit.
Diakiese says the lawyers were surprised that the charges were new and wondered how their client was still being held.
“The main charge for which Solomon was taken as a thug was possession of a wapon. Today we are talking about other charges including Treason and Disclosure of Army Secrets. If we were in a serious country, Salomon should already be free, his file is obviously empty,” said Diakiese.
In Thursday’s fresh charges for which he was not arrested, Salomon is falsely accused of treason.
According to military justice, they claim Salomon maintained contacts with Major Ngezi Fred, assistant to Sultani Makenga General Karuretwa Patrick, Chief Adviser to President Kagame, Major General Rubi Karusisi, commander of special forces RDF, Major General Alex Kagame, Major General Nzabamwito Joseph and the Special Security Adviser to President Kagame.
They falsely claim that the mentioned contacts are aimed at engaging in hostility against the DRC at the hands of Rwandan officials.
