Prosecutors in the Democratic Republic of Congo have asked the country’s highest criminal court to impose a 15-year sentence of hard labour on former justice minister Constant Mutamba, accusing him of orchestrating the fraudulent diversion of a multimillion-dollar reparations fund.

Mutamba and his co-defendant, senior official Chançard Bolukola, are alleged to have mismanaged around 20 million dollars earmarked for the Uganda Victims’ Reparation Fund. The money stems from a landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice, which ordered Uganda to compensate the DRC for damage caused by its military presence and the plunder of natural resources during the 1998–2003 conflict in the country’s east.

The fund was designed to compensate Congolese civilians who suffered killings, displacement, sexual violence, and economic losses during that period. According to the prosecution, instead of reaching those victims, large portions of the money were channelled to companies and individuals with no legal claim to reparations, through what investigators describe as a network of shell entities and politically connected beneficiaries.

Bolukola, who was tasked with overseeing the practical management and distribution of the reparations, is accused of facilitating the scheme by validating suspect payment lists and authorising transfers without proper verification. Prosecutors argue that these actions could not have occurred without the approval and direction of Mutamba, then the country’s top justice official.

Mutamba is already serving a three-year prison term following a separate conviction for embezzlement of public funds. He did not appear in court for the latest hearing and was not represented by counsel, but has previously rejected all allegations, portraying the proceedings as politically motivated and aimed at sidelining him from national politics.

Bolukola’s defence team has attacked the prosecution’s case as weak and speculative, insisting that their client merely implemented decisions taken at higher levels of government. They argue that the financial flows in question were authorised within official channels and that investigators have failed to prove personal enrichment or criminal intent.

The case has become a test of the DRC’s stated drive to combat corruption and restore public trust in state institutions, particularly in the sensitive area of war reparations. The Court of Cassation is expected to deliver its ruling on 2 September, a decision that could set an important precedent for the management of international compensation funds in the country.