DRC Justice Minister Constant Mutamba ordered the Public Prosecutor's Office of the Kinshasa Court of Appeal to open a judicial investigation into those responsible for the embezzlement of over $315 million in advance tax payments from state-owned cobalt and copper mining company Generale des carrieres et des mines (Gecamines) between 2012 and 2020, as revealed in a report by the General Inspectorate of Finances (IGF), the country's public finance watchdog, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Justice and obtained by Radio Okapi.
The Congolese Ministry of Justice reportedly confirmed that the 2020 IGF audit report highlighting suspicious financial transactions and management practices that did not meet standards triggered legal proceedings and the involvement of international mechanisms to find those responsible for the alleged embezzlement.
International arrest warrants have been issued for those involved, though no names have been publicly released.
"To date, international arrest warrants have been issued for the defendants and sent to the judicial authorities of several countries for their arrest," read the statement.