Édouard Mwangachuchu Hizi (born 30 September 1953) is a Congolese businessman and politician. He is a member of the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
for
Masisi,
North Kivu. Mwangachuchu previously served as member of the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
. He was sentenced to death in October 2023 on charges including treason. He has appealed the sentence.
Life
Mwangachuchu was born on 30 September 1953 in
Rutshuru.
As a politician Mwangachuchu served as an independent senator in 2007. He later became a member of the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
for
Masisi,
North Kivu.
In November 2020 he asked Minister of Mines, , for explanations regarding the tensions in
Kivu
Kivu is the name for a large region in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo that borders Lake Kivu. It was a ''Région'' (read 'province') of the country under the rule of Mobutu Sese Seko from 1966 to 1988. As an official ''Région'' ...
.
Mwangachuchu is owner of the Bisunzu mining company (Société minière de Bisunzu, SMB), which mines coltan in the
Rubaya mines.
He is also president of the
National Congress for the Defence of the People.
On 1 March 2023, Mwangachuchu was arrested in Kinshasa. After first being held in Makala prison he was transferred to Ndolo military prison.
In August 2023 the prosecution sought life imprisonment for Mwangachuchu on grounds of treason and "participation in the
M23 insurrectionary movement" (M23), while his defence sought acquittal.
The case started after a cachement of weapons was found on an SMB site in the wake of an
M23 offensive and counteroffensive in Rubaya. On 6 October 2023, the High Military Court, chaired by Robert Kalala, sentenced Mwangachuchu to death for those charges and "illegal possession of weapons and munitions of war".
He was also sentenced to a $100 million fine to be paid within 8 days.
His co-defendant, a police captain, was acquitted. His request for a release on health grounds was rejected.
Mwangachuchu stated that during his trial he was threatened by both M23 and Congolese security authorities.
His lawyer claimed that Mwangachuchu suffered from a ruling "based on ethnic harassment against Kinyarwanda-speaking people in North Kivu" and was medically maltreated.
Mwangachuchu remained a member of the National Assembly as the competency to removed him did not lie with the High Military Court but the
Constitutional Court of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Mwangachuchu subsequently appealed his sentence at the
Court of Cassation
A court of cassation is a high-instance court that exists in some judicial systems. Courts of cassation do not re-examine the facts of a case; they only interpret the relevant law. In this, they are appellate courts of the highest instance. In ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mwangachuchu, Edouard
1953 births
Living people
Democratic Republic of the Congo businesspeople
Democratic Republic of the Congo prisoners sentenced to death
Members of the National Assembly (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Members of the Senate (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
People from North Kivu