Over the weekend, the Citizen Coalition of Congo-Brazzaville against Economic and Financial Crimes, comprising around ten human rights NGOs, initiated a call for fundraising to finance a lawsuit against corruption. They aim to shed light on the alleged misappropriation of a fund totaling 14,000 billion CFA francs (equivalent to over 21 million euros) earmarked for “future generations,” according to the complaint.
Bertrand Menier serves as the coordinator of the citizen movement “Ras-le-bol” and is one of the signatories of the lawsuit filed in July.
“Since 2015, following the constitutional referendum, we have observed the disappearance of 14,000 billion CFA francs. The President of the Republic had promised that this money, held in an account at the Central Bank, would be audited annually, and the accounts would be made public. However, to this day, the Congolese people do not know where the 14,000 billion CFA francs have gone,” he stated.
The fundraising campaign is primarily intended to cover the legal assistance fees of the lawyers, and for this purpose, the NGOs have provided two telephone numbers for the public to contribute. The fundraising is not time-limited, but Bertrand Menier has an idea of the desired amount.
“To have financial stability, we need to raise a minimum of 20 million CFA francs (equivalent to 30,000 euros – Editor’s note). If we can reach this amount, we will have a better chance of making a significant impact. Since legal services are costly, we are preparing our case and have been in contact with both Congolese and foreign lawyers to build our legal team,” he explained.
The NGOs are convinced that this fundraising effort is the ideal way to advance their struggle, but the trial date is yet to be determined.