Relatives of Cherubin Okende, a Congolese politician slain in July, lodged a complaint on Tuesday in Belgium against Major General Christian Ndaywell, head of Congo’s military intelligence service, whom they accuse of involvement in Okende’s death.
This was announced on Wednesday by the family’s lawyer, Alexis Deswaef.
The suit was filed with a judge and, since Ndaywell is a Belgian national, it can be tried by the Belgian justice authorities due to its universal jurisdiction in criminal matters.
This means Belgium can prosecute the alleged perpetrator of a serious crime committed abroad if the accused or victims are Belgian.
Okende was found dead in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, on 13 July 2023. A former minister and parliamentarian, he had become the spokesman for Moise Katumbi’s Together for the Republic party.
Katumbi is the main rival of President Felix Tshisekedi for the upcoming presidential election in DRC, scheduled for 20 December.
According to various accounts, on 12 July, Okende was abducted from the car park of the Constitutional Court, where he was waiting for his bodyguard to deliver a letter requesting a 24-hour delay of his court hearing. He had been due to testify about his declaration of income.
On the following day, 13 July, Okende was found dead in the driver’s seat of his vehicle.
At the end of August, Jeune Afrique magazine published an article implicating military intelligence in Okende’s abduction and death, based on a note from the National Intelligence Agency (ANR).
A week later, Stanis Bujakera, the journalist and alleged author of the article, was arrested and accused of forging that note.
On 2 November, the international non-profit organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) published an investigation demonstrating that the document was authentic and originated from the ANR.
Consequently, Okende’s family lodged a complaint for torture and murder against Ndaywell in Belgium, due to his Belgian nationality.
