Kabila Steps Up Bid To Block Katumbi From Contesting Dec. 23 Polls … Govt Revokes His Passport
The government of Democratic Republic of Congo has stepped up attempts to block opposition leader Moise Katumbi’s ambition to contest the presidency during the December 2018 election.
President Joseph Kabila allegedly recently ordered the withdrawal of Katumbi’s passport to curtail his mobilization.
The authorities revoked Katumbi’s passport a decision they have declined to erescind.
Katumbi was advised last week by Belgian airport services, after returning from a trip to Israel, that his semi-biometric passport had been withdrawn from the system.
A request to the Congolese Embassy in Belgium for a full biometric passport was rejected in February “without valid reason,” his office said in a statement published on his verified Twitter account.
“This incident illustrates the continued fierceness of the regime” against Katumbi, his office said. “It confirms also the instrumentalization of state institutions by the Kinshasa regime.”
Katumbi, the former governor of copper-rich Katanga province, has been in self-imposed exiled since May 2016, soon after he split with President Joseph Kabila and announced an intention to replace his one-time boss.
A month later, he was convicted in absentia for illegally selling a property, while two other investigations remain open — including allegations he violated Congo’s ban on dual citizenship.
Katumbi denies the allegations, which he says are politically motivated. Polls in the run-up to the elections show Katumbi as the people’s favourite to replace Kabila.
The post Kabila Steps Up Bid To Block Katumbi From Contesting Dec. 23 Polls … Govt Revokes His Passport appeared first on Zambia Reports.