Vital Kamerhe

Portrait for @violette
by @violette
2020-06-22T08:23:05+00:00
Regional News • Africa
DR Congo: Vital Kamerhe, President Tshisekedi’s chief of staff, found guilty for corruption
Vital Kamerhe in the Polish Senate
Vital Kamerhe in the Polish Senate Credit: The Chancellery of the Senate of the Republic of Poland / CC BY-SA 3.0 PL (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)

Chief of staff of the Democratic Republic of Congo Vital Kamerhe was found guilty in $50 million corruption and embezzlement case. He was sentenced to 20 years in jail with forced labour. Kamerhe was also disqualified from voting and holding a public office for ten years and faces financial penalties and confiscations of various assets. Samith Jammal, one of Kamerhe's collaborators, was also jailed.

Portrait for @violette
by @violette
2020-06-17T06:46:01+00:00
Regional News • Africa
DR Congo: Judge who presided over president's chief of staff died of stab wounds, not heart attack
Democratic Republic of the Congo President Félix Tshisekedi signs the guest book, at the Department of State, on March 3, 2020
Democratic Republic of the Congo President Félix Tshisekedi signs the guest book, at the Department of State, on March 3, 2020 Credit: U.S. Department of State from United States / Public domain

Judge Raphael Yanyi was presiding over the trial of Vital Kamerhe, chief of staff and ally of DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi. Police had reported Yanyi died of a heart attack. An autopsy has found "he died a violent death, due to the blows of sharp points or knife-like objects, which were thrust into his head". The justice ministry has now launched a murder investigation.