Cleared by the courts in a case of embezzlement of public funds in the DRC, the former Minister of Finance Nicolas Kazadi strikes back, denouncing a corrupt ruling class while sparing his boss, President Félix Tshisekedi.
The former Minister of Finance has decided to publicly address his concerns. He is taking stock of events in interviews and media appearances. Kazadi, a parliamentarian from the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), the presidential party, was accused of overcharging in the “drilling and streetlights” case. In mid-October, he was finally exonerated by the prosecutor.
However, some critics, such as the Public Expenditure Observatory, have claimed the dropped charges are part of a broader scheme orchestrated by President Félix Tshisekedi to “protect allies.” Kazadi, known to be close to the president, strongly disputes these allegations.
While the trial of his two co-accused began on November 4, without him, Kazadi has since launched a scathing critique of the Congolese ruling class. He spoke with “Jeune Afrique” in Paris from the offices of his lawyers, which, by coincidence, are located near the DRC embassy.
THE INTERVIEW:
Q: You denounce a political and media cabal against you. Who do you accuse?
Kazadi: There are several groups. In politics, some individuals were threatened by my rise and my successes. In the economic sphere, I likely upset or threatened specific vested interests.
Q: You suggested the General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF) was involved in your troubles. Do you have a problem with its head, Jules Alingete?
Kazadi: When Jules Alingete began facing criticism in the media, he suspected I was behind it. This assumption arose despite us not being in direct competition. His actions as a consultant to some major Congolese economic players exposed serious conflicts of interest. He found allies to orchestrate attacks against me.
Q: Isn’t Jules Alingete seen as President Tshisekedi’s “anti-corruption man”?
Kazadi: He had the potential to be that figure, but he missed the mark. His conduct, particularly in the Gécamines and Sicomines cases, showed disregard for standards. One cannot act as both a controller and a consultant.
Q. However, he is someone who has become very important and who has not been disavowed by the president…
You don’t know! Let’s wait and see. Whether he is disavowed or not, the facts are what they are.
Q. To hear you speak, the political class, the justice system and the media are sick. Shouldn’t this record be put at the Head of State’s expense?
Kazadi: Not at all, on the contrary! President Tshisekedi is the first president in history who wants to face these great challenges. But he is not a superman. At the time Mobutu said: “I am not a magician, alone I can do nothing.” Everyone has to get involved and it takes time.
Q. The debate that concerns the Congolese political class is the revision of the constitution. Are you in favour of it?
Kazadi: There is not a single political family that has not included this in its program. There is a strong consensus that certain articles of the Constitution need to be revised to make governance more effective, to review the appointment of provincial governors, taxation, dual nationality, etc. What is unfortunate is that this debate did not take place earlier, during the 2023 elections for example. The debate is coming at the wrong time.
Q. Why bring the subject on the table now?
Kazadi: I believe that President Tshisekedi was waiting to receive a clear mandate from the people – which he obtained by collecting 73% of the votes in the last presidential election – to address this important issue. Knowing that the 2023 election is the most transparent and inclusive since 2006. He therefore has all the legitimacy to put this question of the Constitution on the table.
Q. What is being debated is Article 220, which limits the number and duration of the president’s terms. Should it be touched?
Kazadi: That is another question. I am talking to you about a constitutional revision [and Article 220 cannot be amended in the context of a simple constitutional revision]. Let us start there.
Q. You know very well that once you start amending the constitution…
Kazadi: I have not measured the will of the people. I do not know how far they want to go. For me, we must go step by step, and then we will see according to what the Congolese think. For the rest, I will give priority to my point of view to my political family.
Q. Donatien Nshole, Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO), has warned of the cost of a referendum in the event of a change in the constitution. What does the former minister of Finance that you are think about this?
Kazadi: These are elements that must be taken into account. We know that a revision is easier to do.
Q. Your party, the UDPS, is in crisis. Do you support its Secretary General, Augustin Kabuya, who is the target of a revolt?
Kazadi: That is not the question. He is the one who has legitimacy today, period. I do not understand this disorder which is likely to weaken the first part of the republic. I can understand the feeling of frustration of the rebels, but not their approach.
Q. You were not reappointed in the new government. Are you disappointed?
Kazadi: Since there was a legal case, and given the virulence of the attacks against me, it was normal for me to step back. And then it allows me to rest today. My ambition is for the country to do well, with or without me.
Q. You gave interviews to Congolese media. Was it to get people talking about you again or to turn the page?
Kazadi: You have an overly political reading of the situation. I was hurt in my honor while I had one of the most remarkable careers in this country. This is what had to be restored.
What I did was exceptional and Historic.
Q. You mention your record, but the Finance committee of the National Assembly has highlighted poor management of the 2023 budget, which would have “benefited individuals rather than the population” …
Kazadi: It is still the same lynching that continues in the institutions… I have already said that the Court of Auditors had produced a fake report. The IMF report speaks of 18% of expenditure in emergency procedure [in 2023] and they decide that it is 52%, all shame swallowed! It is then recovered by politicians, most of whom have no training to analyze economic issues. And they continue to repeat these lies in the hope of weakening me.
This is ridiculous. If these are the kind of men who want to run the country, we have to stand up and fight.
“There are things to be sorted out, I have to say. There is a form of drift that consists of making populism, politicizing everything, and making fun of everything as long as it pays off politically. “
Q. So you have no responsibility for the errors?
Kazadi: In what exactly? What we did, no one has done before us. Expenditures on emergency procedures have dropped considerably. In 2023, they increased a little because of the security component, it’s true. But we had set up a new system, thanks to which we made advances and then reported back. I have nothing to reproach myself for, I sleep soundly and I wake up with a smile, proud of what I have done.
Q. The assessment you make of the situation in the DRC is severe… Is there something rotten in the DRC?
Kazadi: This is not going well, there are things to be sorted out, I have to say that. There is a form of drift that consists of making populism, politicizing everything, and making fun of everything as long as it pays off politically. I do not belong to this category of politicians. If that is the case, it will be done without me.
Q. We come back to the responsibility of the president of the republic. You describe a situation that certainly does not date from his term of office, but which has not improved under his leadership…
Kazadi: This is the other side of the coin because President Tshisekedi is a true democrat, who lets people express themselves. At times, I feel that a little more firmness is needed, but that is just my opinion.
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