DR CONGO: Professors who exposed frauds sacked

Two professors at the University of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, who alerted the law about embezzlement of funds, are facing the sack on the orders of the Minister of Higher and University Education.

La Prospérité of Kinshasa reported that the day after the arrest on embezzlement charges of Professor Lubunga, dean of Unikin's faculty Polytechnique, and of Professor Bagula, Director of the Centre of Research and Maintenance (Cerema), the Minister Léonard Mashako Mamba ordered dismissal proceedings to start against the two professors Bimuala and Beya.

Bimuala and Beya were criticised for telling legal authorities about offences committed at the Polytechnique including misappropriation of funds - in particular US$100,000, the first instalmant of a total US$500,000 that had been released on orders of President Kabila to bail out the failing faculty. There were also charges of forgery at the Cerema, said La Prospérité.

The paper questioned how, at a time when the faculty was desperately short of teachers, Bimulala and Beya could be dismissed, thereby depriving students of important studies; and how the minister could condemn the denunciation of the fraud when his colleagues at the Ministry of Justice and his own ministry had evidence exposing the criminals.

La Prospérité said Unikin's association of professors had already referred problems at the Polytechnique to the public prosecutor before the minister's intervention which, it reported, was regarded by the university community as a move to cover up the true perpetrators of the fraud.

Meanwhile, Mashako Mamba retained his ministerial post in a government reshuffle announced on 20 February.