A Congolese minister who cast the biggest net to catch the 'Big Fish' in the corruption-infested waters of his country might as well be the first high-profile catch in his own net.
Constant Mutamba, until Tuesday the justice minister in President Felix Tshisekedi's government, had vowed to use “shock therapy to cure the Congolese justice system of its ills”.
But that was before he found himself in his own net, reeking of 'Yibana Mayele' - Mobutu Sese Seko's corruption conscious that encouraged those in public office to “steal cleverly, little by little.”
Mutamba, 37, has resigned after parliament voted to lift his immunity and allow criminal proceedings against him over the alleged embezzlement of $19 million meant for a prison project.
He submitted his resignation to President Tshisekedi on Tuesday, June 17, just two days after 322 out of 363 members of the National Assembly voted in favour of prosecuting him.
Only 29 MPs opposed the move, while 12 abstained.
By Monday, June 16, Prosecutor General Firmin Mvonde had already issued a travel ban, barring Mutamba from leaving Kinshasa.
The former anti-corruption advocate had risen to national prominence on a bold promise to apply “shock therapy” to cure Congo’s broken justice system.
But his fall from grace was swift. In an appearance before a parliamentary commission investigating the prison project in Kisangani, Tshopo Province, Mutamba admitted the funds were misused and routed to a fictitious company.
He apologised publicly but insisted he was the target of a political vendetta.
In his resignation letter, Mutamba said his crusade to reform Congo’s justice sector had met fierce resistance from entrenched interests.
He claimed mafia-style groups were working to derail his reforms.
“Like your soldier, engaged in prosecuting top AFC/M23 officials, I am shocked by a stab in the back — a political plot clearly conceived in Kigali and executed by some of our compatriots,” he wrote to President Tshisekedi.
He blamed internal sabotage for his downfall, describing the ordeal as a “plot aimed at halting this momentum of reform and patriotism.”
Mutamba also cited tensions with Prime Minister Judith Suminwa and accused Prosecutor General Mvonde of leading a campaign of political revenge.
He alleged that Mvonde had acquired a €900,000 home in Belgium and called for the prosecutor to be investigated as well.
The accusations against Mutamba stem from a $29 million no-bid contract awarded to Zion Construction, with $19 million transferred to the firm just one day after it opened a bank account.
The funds were not sourced from the state treasury but from FRIVAO, a war reparations agency under Mutamba’s authority.
Investigators found no trace of the prison construction work for which the funds were meant.
Despite his fiery defense, Mutamba was placed under travel restrictions, and social media was soon flooded with posts highlighting his apparent wealth, raising questions about how the young minister had accumulated such assets since taking office in May 2024.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that Mutamba may have sought refuge in the Cuban embassy following his resignation, though officials have not commented on his whereabouts.
Once hailed as a rising star in the reformist camp, Mutamba now faces prosecution before the Court of Cassation.
His case marks a dramatic reversal for a man who vowed to catch the “big fish” in Congo’s murky corruption waters—only to become the first high-profile catch in his own net.