(JED/IFEX) – On 30 March 2004, Nicaise Kibel-Bel-Oka, publisher-editor of “Les Coulisses” newspaper, appeared before a court in Beni, North Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He faces charges for having allegedly defamed and defrauded a Mr. Kiangu, a high-profile businessman in that area of the country. The hearing lasted three hours and […]
(JED/IFEX) – On 30 March 2004, Nicaise Kibel-Bel-Oka, publisher-editor of “Les Coulisses” newspaper, appeared before a court in Beni, North Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He faces charges for having allegedly defamed and defrauded a Mr. Kiangu, a high-profile businessman in that area of the country.
The hearing lasted three hours and was given over to the examination of evidence that would prove the allegations of customs fraud facing the businessman, as reported in “Les Coulisses”. The journalist’s defence team asked that the businessman produce the oil import delivery documents that would indicate the amount of oil provided by the Kenyan seller, but the judge rejected the lawyers’ request. These delivery documents would have been compared to the customs and revenue declarations that were presented when the goods were brought into the DRC.
The next hearing in the case was scheduled for 20 April, to allow local customs services and Revenue Department officials sufficient time to prepare their testimony.
