Prince Epenge, held at Makala, to stand trial on 11 November over false news
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Actualité.cd
The trial of Prince Epenge, president of ADD Congo, opens on Wednesday 11 November before the Gombe peace court in Kinshasa. According to his lawyer, Me Clément Muza, he is charged only with spreading false news and faces up to three years in prison.
Prince Epenge, president of ADD Congo and spokesperson for the Lamuka coalition, appears this Wednesday before the Gombe peace court (Tripaix) in Kinshasa on charges of spreading false news. Held at Makala central prison since 31 October, he is accused of having claimed that his activist Manassé Lomboto was murdered on the sidelines of the C64 march of 15 September, according to Me Clément Muza, one of his lawyers, speaking to Actualité.cd.
According to Me Muza, the charge brought is Article 199 of the Congolese Penal Code, which provides for up to three years in prison, compared with six months at most under the Digital Code. Provisional release was refused by the council chamber of the peace court, and then on appeal by the Gombe High Court. The lawyers intend to challenge the legal classification of the facts.
Me Muza believes the remarks by the President of the Republic and the prosecutor general at the Court of Cassation, who say that his client lied, carry political weight. He notes that the council chamber cited the seriousness of the facts and the risk of flight to refuse provisional release. The defence says it wants to stay on legal ground.
