All the President's Wealth
The Kabila Family Business
July 2017
CAP VERS L'EMERGENCE LE CONGO Révolution ECT DEBOUT
Congo Research Grouped'Étude Pulitzer Center Group sur leCongo ONCRISISREPORTING Cover picture: Reuters / Robert Carrubba Layout and design: Garage East Copyright © Congo Research Group 2017 Executive Summary
The Democratic Republic of Congo is entering that extend for more than 450 miles along its third decade of armed conflict . Throughout Congo's southern border with this period corruption has been tightly linked to Kabila , the president's sister and a member conflict .' The 2006 Congolese constitution was of parliament , owns a stake in the country's created in the aftermath of thirty -two years of largest mobile phone network , while their 80+ dictatorship , during which President Mobutu brother Zoé , who is also a parliamentarian , Companies Sese Seko used public funds to enrich himself and owns companies that have been contracted to & businesses his allies, and sets up safeguards to prevent the work on some of the world's richest mineral abuse of public office for personal enrichment . deposits. The network of family companies This report by the Congo Research Group (CRG) has the following characteristics : at New York University's Center on International 71,000hectares . The businesses are invested inalmost every part Cooperation is the first in a series of investigations of farmland by CRG into links between politics and business in of the Congolese economy, including farming, Congo,aiming to promote greater accountability mining,banking,real estate, telecommunications and to bolster the oversight enshrined in the and airlines. constitution.It examines the business networks of the country's most powerful elected official , The value oftheir assets isdifficult to determine . diamondpermits President Joseph Kabila , and his family . However, a conservativereadingof public along450 milesof documentssuggeststhattheircompanieshave Congo'sborderwith Our researchover the past 20months, supported had hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues Angola by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, shows since 2003 , and that they own assets that are that the Kabila family either partially or wholly easily worth many tens of millions of dollars . owns more than 80 companies and businesses in the Congo and abroad. President Kabila • Over the years, some of the businesses have directly and through a company he owns with benefitted from Congolese government contracts, 4.8% stake in one his children holds more than 71,000 hectares as well as from contracts with the World Bank,the ofthe country's (175,444 acres) of farmland. companies U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation, largestmobilephone that belong to the family own diamond permits and the UnitedNations. networks
1 Allthe President'sWealth
The KabilaFamilyBusiness
The lack of fiscal transparency in the Congo The Kabila family's investments will likely and in foreign tax havens where some of the play a role in their decision -making during the companies are registered formed a significant current political transition . While Kabila’s second obstacle to our research . While President mandate ended in December 2016 , under the Kabila has reportedly declared his assets to terms of a deal signed with the opposition he the judiciary as required by the constitution , will stay in power until the next elections , which his submissions have not been made public , are supposed to be held before the end of 2017. rendering it impossible to verify their accuracy There is no requirement in the Congo to While this report examines the assets of the publish property taxes or corporate taxes, presidential family, it is clear that members of making it difficult to know how much the the elite on all sides of the political divides have family's companies are worth. abused their office for personal enrichment . While most international interventions inthe Congo have This report is limited to our investigation placed an emphasis on negotiation and political into the Kabila family businesses and is not compromise ,they have failed to hold elites or the intended to be a complete accounting of the ons they work with accountable for this kind family's various revenue streams . We also of corruption . do not conclude that the family's holdings are necessarily illegal or corrupt . However, some of the family's holdings may violate Congolese law or codes, while other ventures raise serious questions of conflicts of interest:
Congo's Ministryof Mineshas granteda company controlled by the president's sister, Jaynet Kabila , more mining permits than allowed under the country's mining Business linked to the Kabila family have Companies belonging to Zoé Kabila have made benefitted from millions of dollars from mining joint contracts with : ventures and subcontracts , including at Sicomines , part of Congo's $ 6.2 billion minerals -for infrastructure deal with
Some of the family's businessassets are WORLD BANK GROUP protectedor overseenby membersof the RepublicanGuard, which is likely outside the legal mandateof the force.10 OPIC Familycompanieshavebenefittedfromlarge statecontracts, includingfor the issuingof drivers licenses.
• At least one family company was part of a UN controversial 2011 copper mining deal that led the International Monetary Fund to cancel its half- UnitedNations billion dollar loan program PeacekeepingMission with
2 Recommendations
This reportexaminesthe businessactivitiesof All mining , oil, hydropower , and someof the mostpowerfulpeoplein the country timber contracts , memoranda of and proposesconcretemeasuresthat can be understanding , amended contracts , and takenby Congoleselegislatorsandmembers other relevant documents related to of governmentto enhancetransparency.These natural resources should be published measuresinclude: as required by government decree.16
All public officials should declare their assets governmentshoulddigitizeall as required by the 2002 code of conduct for landholdingand incorporationrecordsand public officials. make them readilyavailableto the public.
Parliamentshould : The ministry of mines should ensure that the 2002 mining code is applied to -pass legislation requiringall asset all companies and individuals equally , declarations by public officials to be made especially in terms of the number and size public, as is required in other countries; of permit holdings allowed and the right to -pass a law on access to information, which declare force majeure , which exempts permit would codify the right to informationand holders from their obligations only under increasetransparencyinto the business extraordinary circumstances . dealings of the government and all public officials ; 15 The ministry of mines should make public -pass a law requiring charitable foundations all granted applications for force majeure, and non- profit organizationsto publish along with the justification for granting statementsof their finances, includingtheir designation sources of funding. Membersof the RepublicanGuardshould constitutionalcourt shouldclarify the be withdrawnfrom sitesthat are linked to regulationsin the constitutionand legal code the businessesof the presidentialfamily, regardingconflictsof interestfor public especiallyminingsites, unlessthere is an officials, includingthe president. overridingnationalsecurity interest.
PresidentJoseph Kabila, Zoé Kabila, and Jaynet Foreign investors in the Congo dealing Kabila should placetheir privatebusiness with Politically Exposed Persons should interests in an independentlymanagedtrust to be requiredto publish the financial avoid possible conflicts of interest. terms of their deals with PEPs .
3 All the President's Wealth
The Kabila Family Business
Methodology
This report relies almost exclusively on publicly available the Kabila family's business interests . For example , documents . We obtained land titles , incorporation CRG did not include several large ranches, buildings , documents , board meeting minutes , mining permits , media companies , and business ventures that are widely and shareholder agreements through Congolese courts believed to belong to the family , as we could not obtain and registries throughout the country and online . the relevant documentation to prove ownership . While in principle most of these documents should be available to the public " and all claims regarding Companies are also dynamic and their ownership structure company ownership here are backed up by official can change. Some companies listed in this report no longer documents or company websites in reality many operate; a few may no longer have ties to the presidential company files were incomplete or could not be found . family . When company ownership is first listed , it includes In several cases registry workers would not release at least one date , usually the most recent , on which that certain filings ,saying they were too sensitive . ownership was noted in official documents . CRG has tried to find the most recent shareholding , but publicly available CRG used these documents to amass a digital archive company documents are not always updated . This means that could be searched for links to the family . Those the current shareholding could be different than the links were then verified through interviews or other shareholding listed in this report. documents . Excerpts from some of those documents are available on the CRG website ( allthewealth . We have includedcompanies, businesses, organizations congoresearchgroup.org ) . The remainder is on file at and assetswith currentor previouslinksto the family CRG . Some responses may be published on the CRG throughownershipor directorshippositions. website at the time of publication or later . Companies that are no longer operational or that are The investigation coincided with a Bloomberg News no longer directly linked to the family are still included investigation into the Kabila family's assets.18 here, for several reasons . Even companies that went along with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting , out of business may have been profitable or helped helped fund one of the Bloomberg journalists . The accumulate wealth . Dormant companies may also have Pulitzer Center also provided funds for the above assets , liabilities or debts that could retain value . For mentioned website created in partnership with CRG instance , a dormant airline company could have valuable that presents documents and many of the findings of licenses , buildings , or planes that could be resold . Or if a this report in a visual format . company went bankrupt because a contractor never paid a bill , that debt could still be sold or held and repaid in EstablishingrelationshipsbetweenKabilafamily the future . membersis difficult, as explainedbelow. Interviews with dozensof peoplewho have had personaland CRG wrote to most of the people and companiesnamedin professionalrelationshipswith the family helpedto this reportdirectlyor throughrepresentatives, including establishthe listof familymembersused in this report. to PresidentJoseph Kabila and mostof his siblings, to ask Erik Kennes' EssaiBiographiquesur Laurent- DésiréKabila for commenton the claims made here. In some cases, we was alsoan essentialsource.19 were unableto findthe relevantcontacts. The responses we receivedare referencedand referredto throughout Because this report relies primarily on publicly available the text of the report. Furtherdetails of the responseswe sources , it is inevitably an incomplete assessment of receivedcan also be found on the CRG website. Contents
ExecutiveSummary 1
Recommendations 3
Methodology 4
PARTI Overviewand legalissues 6
Chapter : From poverty to riches : A family history 6 Chapter II: The family business today Chapter III: How much are the companies worth? 10 Chapter IV : Is this Legal? 10
PART 2 : The family businesses 12
Chapter V : President Joseph Kabila & Family 12 1. Properties owned directly by Joseph Kabila 12 2. First Lady Marie- Olive Lembe Di Sita and children 14 3. Jaynet Désiré Kabila Kyungu 17 Zoé Kabila Mwanzambala 24 Chapter : Other Family, Other Investments 27
Analysis 30
ANNEX A : Summary of Values and Company Revenues 31 ANNEX B : Relevant laws and regulations 32
Endnotes 34
5 All the President's Wealth The Kabila Family Business
PART 1
Overview and legal issues
CHAPTERI FROMPOVERTYTO RICHES: A FAMILYHISTORY
The Kabila family's business interests are vast and interlinked . While some family members have developed apparently autonomous companies , many of the largest endeavors are collaborative , involving several family members . In order to understand these dynamics , it is useful to examine their roots in business in the Congo .
Laurent - Désiré Kabila moved his family to Tanzania in the 1970s , after years of leading an unsuccessful rebel movement in Fizi, South Kivu , against Zairean dictator Mobutu Sese Seko . Laurent - Désiré Kabila was a wanted man, and the Kabila family lived discreetly in exile in Uganda and Tanzania through the 1990s.20
Family members used assumed names often versions of one of Laurent-Désiré's pseudonyms , Francis Mtwale and ran several small businesses including restaurants , bars, and markets . They imported food, and imported and exported other commodities from Congo through Dar es Salaam's ports . The family was protected by the Tanzanian government , and moved from house to house in the city's affluent neighborhoods to escape detection by Mobutu's intelligence agents . In the Mbezi Beach neighborhood , they held a large plot of land (which now lies in disrepair ) called Hewa Bora, after the rebel base in South Kivu where Figure 1 The Kabila family in Dar es Salaam . Laurent- Désiré trained his troops and where his Their mother Sifa Mahanya in the middle, the twins , Jaynet Désiré Kabila Kyungu and Joseph twinsJosephandJaynetat thefarright Kabila Kabange were born on 4 June 1971 .
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Gloria, Masengo, and Make Mokolo wa Ngoy (also known as Makie Wangoi ) . Interviews with family members and longtime personal , political and business associates of the family have confirmed their identities as close relatives of Joseph Kabila report also covers assets linked to spouses or children of these family members .
It is difficult to assess the family's wealth before 1996; according to two people who knew the family in Dar es Salaam , as well as according to a Kabila biography , Laurent -Désiré Kabila struggled financially , although he was able to pay for private schooling for several of his children.25 In an interview in 2006 , Joseph's mother said : " If life in the bush (dans le maquis ) was difficult , in Tanzania it was much worse . We had nothing... a small field and sold my vegetables at the market , like all poor Figure2 | Kabila family Duringtheir time in Tanzania, the Kabila family African women ." 26 landin Dar es Salaam. grew in size and complexity . Laurent -Désiré's A sign on the wall says wife , Sifa Mahanya , ran the It is clear that the family's wealth increased " Hewa Bora .” household , and gave birth to a number of other children over dramatically after they arrived in power.In1996, the next twenty years . Another boy, Selemani , a regional coalition led by Rwanda, Uganda and became an adopted son after his father , one of Angola formed to overthrow Mobutu . It appointed Laurent- Désiré's rebel comrades , was killed. Laurent-Désiré Kabila as the spokesperson and then the leader of the Alliance des Forces In his travels around the world seeking support Démocratiques pour la Libération du Congo - Zaire for his fight against Mobutu, Laurent- Désiré (AFDL ), which ousted Mobutu from power in reportedly had children with a number of other May 1997. When Laurent- Désiré Kabila became women.22 While some of those women and president , he immediately used state assets to children still claim links to the Tanzania - based help repay allies for their contributions to the war, family led by Mama Sifa, as his wife is known , in particular through a business called Compagnie most are not part of the core group surrounding mixte d'import -export, or Comiex - Congo , that the current Congolese president . Officials in partnered with other companies in banks, mines , Congo often complain about people who claim and fuel distribution deals.27 Congo's former blood links to Laurent- Désiré or Joseph Kabila or auditor general said in 2007 that Comiex " was who invoke the Kabila name to assert their rights a private trust run by people close to President to assets or businesses , or to avoid taxes.23 Kabila , but entirely created with state assets "28 A parliamentary investigation in 2005 produced In the interest of space and clarity, this report evidence of $31 million in state funds transferred focuses on the three main political figures in to Comiex , much of which was sent to a bank the Kabila family Joseph, Jaynet, and Zoé account in Rwanda. Comiex also held around and seven other relations who are generally 49 % of shares in a company that held the rights understood to have grown up with Laurent to diamond mining concessions covering 274 Désiré Kabila and Sifa Mahanya in Congo and square miles and with reserves reportedly worth Tanzania: Josephine, Sissy , Cecylia, Selemani, $1.63 billion.29
7 All the President's Wealth The Kabila Family Business
The ownership and the full range of she incorporated a now defunct company Several other companies belonging Comiex's investments and the extent of in Texas , and, with her brother Zoé to family members obtained permits its involvement in Congo's economy are Kabila, founded another business around the diamond -rich regions of still unknown to the public. Almost none in Tanzania that became involved Mbuji-Mayi and Tshikapa. of the publications from the government's in mining, gemstones , commodity official registry known as the Journal trading , a travel agency , foreign Family members then invested in Officiel —from that period are available . exchange , and real estate, according transportation , infrastructure , and According to the 2005 parliamentary to its incorporation documents .34 farming , sectors in which demand investigation , the company was dissolved began to soar following the unification in 2003 and its assets were never fully By the time a peace deal was signed of the country . Grand Congo created recovered by the state . 30 to end Congo's wars in 2002 , the Wimbi Dira Airlines in 2003,37 while country's economy was ruined and Zoé Kabila's Number One Contracting After Laurent - Désiré Kabila's its infrastructure destroyed . After Company became the country's fourth assassination in January 2001, Joseph Kabila became president of largest road builder for a time , according Joseph Kabila became president ; his Congo's transitional government in to a World Bank report siblings - in particular his twin sister 2003 , Jaynet and Zoé Kabila and other Jaynet Kabila and his brother Zoé family members became involved in President Kabila himself appears in Kabila— became active in business . the diamond industry , which was by far government commercial records found During this period, their business the country's largest source of export by CRG soon after the 2006 elections , decisions began to raise more serious revenue at the time . the country's first multiparty vote in questions of conflicts of interest.31 forty years . On 22 December 2008 , the Two companies that are majority president directly obtained at least six Jaynet Kabila began setting up a series of owned by Jaynet Kabila and other plots of land , a total of 5,700 hectares, companies around the world soon after family members Grand Congo in Katanga province. The president her father's death . In June of 2001 she (now known as Acacia ) and Kwango continued to accumulate more land used the Panamanian law firm Mossack Mines - obtained nearly 100 exploration through his agricultural company, Fonseca to create a shell company in permits along the country's diamond Ferme Espoir ( Hope Farm), and added the South Pacific island of Niue through rich border with Angola.35 They tried to more than 60,000 hectares ( 148,263 which she would soon own a stake in the sign deals with several diamond traders acres) of agriculture and grazing land Congolese subsidiary of mobile phone and major firms , including De Beers , the when the company bought the Société operator Vodacom . months later world's biggest diamond company.336 des Grands Elevages du Bas- Congo, a
1996 Laurent-Désiré Kabila becomes leader of Alliance des Forces Démocratiques pour la Libérationdu Congo Zaire (AFDL )
4 June 1971 26 June1979 Jaynet Désiré Kabila Kyungu and Zoé Kabilabornin Dares JosephKabilaKabangeborn. Salaam , Tanzania
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livestock company , during his second airlines , hotels, and companies that businesses . Almost none of the locations term in office. deal in various kinds of trade . There are had any sign suggesting a company is companies that mine for diamonds , gold, based inside . Company documents reveal a Meanwhile, the Kabilas branched out. copper and cobalt . President Kabila and varying degree of caution in concealing the One sister took a 40% stake in a bank his family have business and financial identity of the owners . Some investments that is now run by brother Selemani. interests in almost every part of Congo , use shell or holding companies that A company owned by Zoé Kabila as well as real estate interests in conceal the personal involvement of family made millions consulting for a publicly South Africa and Tanzania . Companies members, such as Keratsu or Development traded gold miner.42 And, as the price use addresses as far from Congo as Trade and Investment Company SA.47 of diamonds fell and Congo's copper Panama , Niue, and Luxembourg . One In incorporation documents and board and cobalt industry revived, the family family business sold copper on Alibaba , meeting minutes for these companies , companies changed their focus again . China's version of Amazon . family members often use less common By 2010, Acacia began looking into versions of their names . For example , mining copper on a permit owned by It is not clear what many of the Jaynet Kabila is often known as Jaynet state -owned Gecamines . Other family family's companies do. Their articles of Ursula Kyungu.48 Zoé Kabila has at companies are also involved in the association(statuts) are often wide used the name Zoé Mtwale, while at copper and cobalt industry, which is now ranging. For example , the incorporation other times he has used his post-name, Congo's most valuable export earner.43 documents of Ferme Espoir, which Mwanzambala , identify himself.49 In is directlyowned by PresidentKabila one company , Sezo International Trading, and his two children, say the company all four of its original 2003 shareholders , CHAPTERII: not only engages in farming, but including Zoé Kabila, used Francis Mtwale" THEFAMILYBUSINESSTODAY also in mineraland oil exploration.45 as their last name such cases , CRG Another firm , Katanga Premier, which has used dates and locations of birth or The presidential family's business was founded in 2012 by Zoé Kabila further documentation to confirm the interests today are broad in terms of and his son, describes as a identities of these family members . geographic reach and the sectors it has telecommunications, manufacturing, invested in.44 Members of the family mining, customs, cement, travel, Finally, it is clearthat businessis seen as a partially or wholly own more than 80 informationtechnology, fast food, real family endeavor. Familycompaniesoften companies and businesses created over estate, brokerage, and architecture holdshares in otherfamilycompanies. the last sixteen years . There are farms , business. CRG visited the addresses Differentcompaniesbelongingto various banks , telecommunications companies , of more than three-dozen of the family's family membersoften list the samefew
May 1997 AFDL ousts Mobutu Sese Sekofrompower.
2006 2011 19 September 2016 January2001 JosephKabila Joseph Kabilaelected Kinshasa rocked by protests Laurent- Désiré electedpresident. forsecondterm. calling for Kabila to step assassinated, Joseph down. 17 people killed. becomes president.
9 All the President's Wealth The Kabila Family Business
addressesas their physicalplaceof business. Oneaddress, 83 Avenue de la Justice in Kinshasa, has at least fourteencompanieslinked to it, and at leastfive familymembersuse it astheir contactaddress.
CHAPTER III: HOW MUCH ARE THE COMPANIES WORTH ?
It is difficult to put a value on the various holdings of the family, almost all of which are private . Few of the Figure 3 83 Avenue de la Justice in Gombe, Kinshasa . companies release financial data in their publicly available documents . Congo's statistical agencies have wealth . We cannot rule out that the makinginvestmentsand accumulating published few production or tax family has other, considerable sources wealth. However, thereare severallaws records for the companies and there of income . In the past, senior Congolese in the Congothat regulatethe business is no legal requirement in the Congo officials used their office to extract activityof all publicofficialsandtheir to publish corporate taxes . bribes . For example , a recent settlement familiesandassociates, andthere between the U.S. Department of Justice , are particularlystrict rulesfor the Mining properties that have not been the Securities and Exchange Commission head of state. explored properly are hard to attach a and the New York- based hedge fund dollar amount to. For example, the Acacia Och - Ziff describes how a Congolese According to the Congolese constitution , and Kwango diamond mining permits , politician received nearly $11 million in a president cannot be involved in which stretch along much of Congo's illicit payments from an Israeli investor52 a professional activity , 56 nor can a border with Angola , could be worth during a three -month period in 2010 and president rent, buy, or lease state billions of dollars or very little, depending 2011.53 In total , Congolese government assets or participate in public tenders on the amount and quality of gems in the officials allegedly received more than for state assets , directly or through area, the cost of extracting them , and the $100 million in bribes between 2005 family members or representatives . A current price of diamonds.51 and 2015, the agreement with the U.S. president must also submit a declaration Department of Justice said.54 addition, to the Constitutional Court of all assets Nonetheless , some public documents a Global Witness report states that at the beginning and end of her or his do give a sense of the revenue flowing at least $ 1.5 billion in potential state mandate.57 a comparison of these through the various assets and their revenue was lost due to dubious mining declarations creates the suspicion of worth . Many of these are detailed in deals between 2010 and 2014, and unjustified enrichment , the matter can subsequent sections of this report, and that senior state officials could have be referred to the Constitutional Court we have summarized them in Annex benefitted from these deals.55 or the Court of Cassation . According to A. They add up to hundreds of millions news reports , President Kabila submitted of dollars and are just a sample of these declarations to the court in 2007 revenues and assets of some of the CHAPTERIV: and 2012.58 family's companies based on publicly ISTHIS LEGAL? available documents . Publicofficials, includingmembersof There is nothing wrong or illegal per parliamentand heads of state, must It is importantnotto conflatethese se with family members of a president adhere59 a code of conduct, which businessinterestswith the family's or parliamentariansowning companies , was passedin 2002and governs
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conflicts of interest . The code also while companies must abide by the directly from the state which might requires an annual declaration of various codes and regulations that be in violation of Article 98 of the assets to a monitoring body called govern particular industries , such as constitution, which states the president l'Observatoire du Code d'Ethique the mining code or rules governing land is not allowed to obtain state assets Professionnelle (OCEP , which was affairs.66 Some companies belonging or was bought from another private created in 2003. While members of to Kabila family members appear to individual.69Companies belongingin OCEP were appointed in 2003,60 the be in violation of the law . According to part to membersof the family have also institution does not appear to scrutinize the mining code, A person and his/ been able to win state tenders, including any of these declarations , according to her affiliated companies cannot hold for issuingbiometric drivers' licenses a Congolese legal NGO.61 While OCEP more than fifty exploration permits ." and for training youth in is active and has a website supported Kwango Mines alone has 53 exploration While parliamentariansare not explicitly by the United Nations Development permits.67 Kwango is controlled by Excel barred from biddingfor state contracts, Program, there is no public indication Holding, which is in turn controlled the status and influenceof the Kabila that they have checked to see which by Jaynet Kabila. family should normally prompt public officials have submitted their additionalscrutiny by parliament or declaration of assets or that they have Tax payments for many of the government agencies issuingtenders verified their contents . mining permits linked to the family because of potentialconflicts of interest have been suspended due to force and their relationshipto the president, It is not clear if national deputies Zoé majeure, which is covered in Article who is prohibitedfrom participatingin Kabila and Jaynet Kabila have made 297 of the mining code and sets tenders directly or indirectly. declarations of their assets . Several strict conditions as to when it can be parliamentarians contacted by CRG declared . In most jurisdictions , the There may also be conflicts of interest were not aware of this legal requirement kind of unforeseen event that would in how members of the Kabila family which is not repeated in the by- laws trigger force majeure includes wildcat obtained ownership of companies , of parliament. strikes, riots, insurrection, civilunrest, shares , or assets in the first place.71 social conflicts , government action Given the lack of transparency in the If they have made these declarations , without legal support , sabotage , country , however, we cannot ascertain none has ever been made public , in natural catastrophe , fire, acts of war how Jaynet Kabila obtained shares in spite of pressure from opposition or circumstances attributable to war . Vodacom Congo, for example , or how parties and Congolese NGOs such as Since the mines ministry's decisions she and her relatives obtained the vast Voix des Sans Voix and Toges Noires.63 regarding force majeure are not made diamond exploration titles along the There is no legal obligation for the public , it is unclear what events border with Angola . content of these declarations to be triggered force majeure. made public, but without access to the Finally , there are limits on how the declarations it is impossible to judge Congolese law governing conflicts President's Republican Guard can be their veracity and the exercise is of of interest is relatively vague . The legally used , according to the 2011 Law little use . According to a World Bank Code of Conduct of Public Officials on the Armed Forces, which limits the survey of 176 countries in 2012 , 43 says conflicts of interest arise from tasks of the guard.72 It says the force can of jurisdictions provide the public with a situation in which a public official of only be used to protect the president open access to public officials ' financial the state has an interest of a personal and distinguished guests of the republic, disclosures.64 In Africa , the practice is nature that influences or appears to presidential facilities , and provide an slowly catching on : South Africa , Cape influence the impartial and objective honor guard and escorts at the level of Verde, Liberia , the Central African exercise of his/ her official functions . " 68 the presidency . It does not say the elite Republic , and Sao Tomé and Principe There are several business endeavors unit is allowed to protect businesses or require public disclosures of assets.65 that deserve legislative and judicial mines belonging to the president's family , scrutiny. Joseph Kabila has been able to as we document below. Congolese public officials are subject obtain a large amount of land ; it is not to the country's civil and criminal laws, clear whether this land was obtained
11 All the President's Wealth The Kabila Family Business
PART 2 :
The family 1 Properties owned directly businesses by Joseph Kabila
All of the companies in which President Kabila has a direct CHAPTER V : stake and for which CRG was able to find documents are PRESIDENT JOSEPH KABILA real estate or farming ventures . He has obtained directly in & FAMILY his name at least 8,633 hectares (21,322 acres) of farm and pasture land in Haut Katanga and Maniema provinces from President Joseph Kabila , his wife the Ministry of Land Affairs.76 In January 2012 , the ministry Olive, and their two children, Sifa and also granted him six plots of unspecified size in Kailo in Laurent Désiré, own a cattle -breeding Maniema province.77 Kailo is the birthplace of Olive Kabila.78 ranch, a poultry farm , and have stakes It is not apparent in the documents obtained by CRG how in a construction company and over the properties are being used . In addition , the president 100 mining permits for diamonds and controls two large agricultural companies , Ferme Espoir and gold. They control a holding company Société des Grands Elevages du Bas-Congo . that leases rental property , owns more farms , and has stakes in an oil-trading a) FermeEspoir company and a former airline.73 President Kabila directly owns 80 % of the agricultural The total size of farm and pasture company, Ferme Espoir, with the remaining 20% owned land owned by the President and his in two equal parts by his daughter, Sifa , and son , Laurent immediate family exceeds 71,000 Espoir directly holds at least ten agriculture hectares (175,444 acres) This permits totaling at least 2,678 hectares (6,617 acres) in the figure does not include properties former Katanga province. Several other farms around Congo whose incorporation or ownership linked to the presidential family are also called Ferme Espoir; documents could not be obtained it is not clear if they are legally part of the same company. by CRG but that according to credible sources are believed to Accordingto its incorporationdocuments, Ferme Espoiralso belong to members of the family . has the righttoexplorefor oil and minerals.
70,000hectaresis a significantamount A websiteto encouragetourismin Katangahas a page offarmlandto own: it is roughlyten dedicatedto one 700- hectare( 1,729acres) part of Ferme timesthe size of the island of Manhattan; Espoir. The descriptionon the websitesays the farmgrows as of 2013, theaveragefarm size in maize, a staple food for manyCongolese, andthat it could the Congowas 1.4 hectares.75 be the second- largestpoultry- raisingfarm in Africa.82
In 2006 , Zoé Kabila's Strategic Projects and Investments ( SPI ) said it would invest at least $15.5 million in industrial agriculture , with most of the money going to Ferme Espoir . It is not clear from available documents if Joseph Kabila owned Ferme Espoir at the time ; it was described as a branch of the company's board minutes .
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Figure 5 President Kabila on Mateba Island in 201689
According to a 2012 promotional video for Olive Kabila's non- profit organization , Initiative Plus OLK , another de Ferme Espoir is located on the Bateke plateau between ayant rapport Jean , Pour direct ou indirect avec social que Kinshasa and Bandundu and has at least 30 hectares pouvant en faciliter la réalisation Kinshasa de la peut moment , le26 L'objet requises 2008 deliberant les conditions Le pour modificationdes statuts of farmland , a chicken and pig farm and 89 hectares of Jean Article forests and fruit trees . According to the video , the farm cours aujour de lasignaturedes presentsstatuts . Ferme de Espoir Ellepourra dissouteentour par générale danslesconditions was created in 1998 and has a small hospital on site for pourlesmodificationsaux les TITRE the local community.83 Josephine Capitalsocial sociales. 26 Hewa er juin 1971 Article5 , le18 par leur septembre , Le capitalsocial est fixe en francs JosephKabila congolaisde cinq cents dollarsaméricains. Il est résidant Colonel Kinshasaau représentéparcinqcentspartssociales valeurnominale b) Société des Comme et de croisement demilledollars Grands Elevages Gombe Boulevard chacune la Article 6 du Bas -Congo, GEL Lesparts socialessont TITRE souscritescommesuit - Kabila 400 sociales( 80 % ) soit USD
JoséphineSifaKabange50 partssociales( 10 % ) soit Article1" 50.000USD est Laurent cadrede sociales( 10 % ) Ferme Espoir also has a 100% stake in the Société des législation lespersonnes USD responsabilitélimitée congolaise, le Espoir Article 7 Grands Elevages du Bas- Congo.84 According to commercial Chaque associé n'est Lesiège Article2 que responsable des engagements de la Bora socialest concurrence de son apport la Provincequartier Lubumbashi, documents from GEL's former owners , the company Katanga Hewa sur peut Kampemba Article 8 transfere tout Lecapitalsocialpeut des autre des augmentéouréduit controlled about 40,000 hectares (98,842 acres) of La associés de la associésdélibérantdans par société modifications lesconditions peutavoirdes République aux statuts requisespourles d'exploitation des Lorsdetoute pastureland for cattle and sheep and around 20,000 localitésouagences, administratifs,des lesconditions augmentationducapital fixe l'étranger ou d'émissiondespartsnouvelles bureauxdans Les associés ont La Article 3 des parts nouvelles. de préférence pour hectares (49,421 acres) of farmland producing maize, agro- sociétéa pour absorbées par Les parts qui n'ont pas la et industrielles, objet les souscrites par desl'exercice du droit de été la les activitésactivitésagricoles, tiers agréés par les préférence peuvent être transformationconservation, de la relatives forestières associés manioc , soy and peanuts . This included Mateba Island activités la , l'élevage, l'environnement commercialisationdes la pêcherie, Article Le produits la Lesparts transport issus des socialessont relatives routier,aérien, jamaisêtre nominatives in the Congo River in Kongo Central province. also fluvialet représentées ellesne peuvent naturelles et la lacustre,les chaqueassocié pardestitres recherche activités ausiège seulementdu négociables. Letitre Elle peut des socialqui registredes de actes enoutre ressources le nombre contientla associéstenu et de parts désignationde controlled a phosphate mine near Boma , according to opérations au pays versements lui chaqueassocié financières ou effectués appartenantet . l'étranger, tous 11 peut être l'indicationdes a further agricoles frais , délivré l'associé company documents . The company obtained certificat constatant son qui le demande et à ses inscription au registre. 489 hectares (1,208 acres) of agro -pastoral land in the Ce 14 former Bas-Congo province from the Ministry of Land Les Affairs in 2013 , and another 506 hectares ( 1,250 acres) in 2014.87 According to company records, Ferme Espoir was Figure4 ShareholdingagreementFermeEspoir the full owner of GEL at the latest by March 2014.88
13 All the President's Wealth
The Kabila Family Business
Affairs.92 In 2014and 2015 it also receivedgovernment 2 . contractsthroughthe government'sBureauCentralde First Lady Marie- Olive Coordination( BCECO), whichoverseesthe management Lembe Di Sita and children of manydonor-fundedprojectsin the Congo, to provide school suppliesand build latrines.93Sincethereis no legalrequirementto makethe revenuesof non- profit organizationspublic, as in the UnitedStatesand the President Kabila's wife, the First Lady Marie- Olive Lembe UnitedKingdom, for example, it is impossibleto estimate Di Sita, network of business interests she controls the financesof IPOLK. personally or in conjunction with one or more of her children . She also runs a non -profit organization that The First Lady has been able to raise considerable promotes the rights of women and children . amounts for charitable efforts , although it is not always clear whether the funds pass through IPOLK . In 2013 , a ) Initiative Plus Olive Lembe Kabange the First Lady inaugurated the Cité Maman Olive Lembe Kabila ," a public housing project consisting of The FirstLady's InitiativePlusOliveLembeKabange, 120 three - bedroom houses , a school and a hospital on also knownas InitiativePlusOLK IPOLK, is active the outskirts of Kinshasa , described by the national TV throughoutthe country promotingagricultureand women station as " an initiative of the First Lady Olive Lembe."94 and children'srights and development. It fightsagainst The same year , she inaugurated a large technical school sickle-cellanemia, buildsschools and latrines, and has in Tshikapa , described by her foundation as a personal partneredon humanitarianprojectswithsuchcompanies donation to the local community.95 The UN radio station as BritishAmerican Tobacco. reported that she financed the construction of two technical schools in Maniema province % and news In 2013 , IPOLK obtained 9.4 hectares of agriculture reports suggest there are schools in Mbandaka , Gungu land outside Kinshasa from the Ministry of Land and Uvira also bearing her name.
Figure6 Maman OliveKabilaon the outskirtsof Kinshasa
14 2 OliveSifa Laurent Sociétéà ResponsabilitéLimitée Capital social 9.200.000 Francs congolais Siège social : , Boulevard du30Juin , commune de Gombe , Kinshasa République Démocratique du Congo
TITRE II DEMOCRATIONE Apports- Capital Parts ENTRE LES SOUSSIGNES OFFICE NOTARIA 1. Madame Marie Olive LEMBE KABILA , de nationalité congolaise , née Article 5 : Les apports Kailo, le 29 Juillet 1978, , avenue Ouganda, Quartier cliniques,commune de Gombe, à Kinshasa 2. Apports en numéraire LasociétéSentinelleInternationalGroupapporteaugroupement 2. Mademoiselle Joséphine KABANGE, de nationalité congolaise, la somme de 8.000.000 USD, somme mise disposition du née à Windhoek , le 26 avril 2000 , résidant au 5 avenue Ouganda , groupementdès signaturede cet acte. Quartier cliniques , commune de Gombe, à Kinshasa, ici représentée par Madame Marie - Olive LEMBE KABILA , majeur d'âge , domiciliée au 5 3. Apportsennature avenue Ouganda Quartier Cliniques commune de Gombe, Kinshasa;... La société OSIFAL Sprl apporte au groupement d'intérêt économique sous les garanties ordinaires et de droit, le bien désigné 3. Monsieur KABILA Laurent Désiré, de nationalitécongolaise, né le 18 ci- après : une concession foncière située à Lubumbashi. Cet apport septembre2008, résidantau n 5 , avenueOuganda, Quartiercliniques, est évalué 1.000.000 USD par les membres soussignés. communede Gombe, ici représentéepar Marie-OliveLEMBEKABILA, majeurd'âge, domiciliéeau avenueOuganda, communede Gombe, 4. Apports en industrie à Kinshasa La société Osifal Sprl apporte également au groupement d'intérêt économique ses connaissances professionnelleset ses est établi une société à Responsabilité Limitée conformément aux relationspersonnellesdans le domaine administratifet techniqueen dispositions statutaires pertinentes dont la teneur suit : République Démocratique du Congo. Cet apport est évalué à 1.500.000de dollars américains. Récapitulatifdesapports Apports en numéraire 8.000.000 USD Figure 7 Osifalarticles of association (excerpt) Apports en nature 1.000.000 USD Apports en industrie : 1.500.000 USD Total : 10.500.000 USD
b) OTJConstruction Article 6 Le capital Le montant du capitaldu groupement d'intérêt économique est fixé à 10.500.000 USD OTJ is a construction and civil engineering company founded Cette somme est divisée en parts égales de 105.000 USD chacune in 2010 and owned in partnership between the First Lady attribuées aux membres du groupement d'intérêt économique en and two Belgian men, Thierry and Jean Paul Adam , who fonctionde leurs apports. are reportedly her stepbrothers . CRG found little publicly available information about the company besides its incorporation documents , although a TV news report of the opening of Cité Maman Olive Lembe featured Thierry Adam and reported that OTJ construction built the complex.99 Figure8 La Pétrolièreincorporationdocument(excerpt)
c ) Osifal - Olive Sifa Laurent missionhad been leasingthis landfrom a private landlord Osifal, short for Olive Sifa Laurent , is the First Lady's main previously; the landlordthen sold the land to Osifal without holding company, which she owns in conjunction with her notifyingthe UN.104 two children.100 Its ownership has changed several times since it was founded in 2004 , and while they appear to have Osifal is also a shareholder in a number of other companies, used different names , the first lady and daughter seem to detailed below . have always been part of the shareholding.101 According to its incorporation documents , Osifal is involved in oil and mining, d ) La Pétrolière airlines , air and road transport , construction , travel, and real estate . It directly owns seven diamond and gold exploration Osifal created the fuel transport and storage firm, La permits; all are currently in force majeure.102 It also holds Pétrolière , with Sentinelle International Group Ltd. in 2006, farmland and property in North Kivu province and it collected and became an equal partner in 2007.105 Sentinelle has also a total of $ 270,000 in rental fees from the UN Department been involved in mining in Congo and has links in South Africa, of Peacekeeping Operations in 2015.103 The UN peacekeeping the British Virgin Islands and the Seychelles.106
15 All the President's Wealth
The Kabila FamilyBusiness
When Sentinelle and Osifal created La Pétrolière , Osifal According to its incorporation documents , the joint provided two assets to the company to meet its $2.5 million venture was set up to mine nine permit areas held by share capital contribution , according to La Pétrolière's Osifal , though documents seen by CRG do not say which incorporation documents .107 The first was a piece of land permits. 114 As of June 2017 , the company held two mining in Lubumbashi that the companies valued at $ 1 million. exploration licenses in diamond -rich Kasai Occidental The second was its “ professional contacts and personal under the name Hebron Holding DRC.115 CRG found no relationships in the administrative and technical domain other public documents detailing its current status . in the Democratic Republic of Congo ." The companies valued that contribution at $1.5 million 108 g ) COMINCA - La Congolaisede Mines et des Carrières In 2011, La Pétrolière had a contract with the state electricity company for $ 154,780 to provide Scotch tape COMINCAwas a miningcompanyfoundedin 2004.116 and other things ."109 In 2009, the Economic and Financial PresidentKabila'sdaughter, Sifa , who was four yearsold Commission of Congo's parliament raised questions about at the time , was a minority shareholder in the company . two La Pétrolière contracts worth more than $3 million COMINCA held permits for copper, cobalt , gold, tin, and total with the country's environmental ministry.'10 Most diamonds , according to the mining company of the money was earmarked for programs to educate or some of its shareholders apparently had a provisional youth in wood work ," even though La Pétrolière is meant agreement with diamond company De Beers that never to import petroleum products , according to its incorporation came to fruition after an intra- shareholder dispute at documents . The ECOFIN commission said the environmental COMINCA involving Another partner in the venture ministry had not abided by the normal financial and was her uncle, Patrick Bologna , who is currently a national tendering processes to favor the company . deputy and is married to the sister of First Lady Olive Kabila . By the end of 2005, Bologna took over the company with his CRG could not find public documents related to La Pétrolière's other immediate family members , and Sifa was no longer petroleum -trading business . part of the share structure. In June 2011, Bologna and his family ceded their shareholding . COMINCA no longer e ) Five Forty DRC SPRL appears to have registered mining permits.
Five Forty DRC, an airline and transport company , was another partnership between Osifal and the British Virgin Islands- registered arm of Sentinelle International Group Ltd. Just as in La Pétrolière, Sentinelle brought in $8 million in cash for its share capital while Osifal's $2 million share capital contribution was covered by the value of its “professional connections and personal relationships." 112 f ) Hebron Holding Congo
Osifalalso owns or owned 50% of HebronHoldingCongo. HebronHoldingsSA Pty, whichwas registeredin SouthAfrica aboutthree weeksbeforethe incorporationof the Congounit in June 2008, holdsthe other
Hebronis anothercompanywith diverseinterestsbut few knownactivities: its incorporationdocumentssay it is involved in goldand diamonds, civilandindustrialconstruction, transportation, financeandinvestmentfunds, the marketing of foodandindustrialproducts, and telecommunications.
16 2
AmongCWN'sshareholdersis a companycalled Keratsu HoldingLtd., with a 19.6% indirectstakein the company. Keratsuwas incorporatedin June 2001, six monthsbeforethe 3 . creationof VodacomCongo, in the tiny SouthPacificisland Jaynet Désiré Kabila Kyungu of Niue.128The holdingamountsto an indirect4.8% stake in VodacomCongofor Jaynet Kabila.
Incorporationdocumentsfrom Niue'scorporateregistryshow Jaynet Kabila was born in Hewa Bora , Fizi, South Kivu, in that she co-ownsthe companywith FeruziKalumeNyembwe, June 1971 and grew up mostly in Tanzania . Soon after her who has alsoserved as the coordinatorofthe FondationMzee father was killed in 2001 , she began setting up companies Kabila that Jaynet Kabila Feruziand JaynetKabila have in Tanzania , the United States , Panama , the island of Niue, knowneachotherfor years : Feruziis the son of Didier Kazadi and Congo.120 She has or has had direct and indirect stakes Nyembwe, the formerhead of Congo'sintelligenceagency, in at least 28 companies over the past fifteen years . Through the ANR, and a closefriendof Laurent- DésiréKabila.130 these companies she has stakes in more than a hundred mining permits . b ) Acacia (formerlyGrand Congo)
She is also the president of the Fondation Mzee Laurent As of September 2014 , Acacia was owned by Jaynet along Désiré Kabila , which , according to its articles of association , with President Kabila's 16-year old daughter, Sifa ; his brother, is an organization that works with vulnerable populations Masengo ; and his financial adviser, Emmanuel Adrupiako . Two including widows and orphans of war , HIV patients, and others have minority stakes. 131While the shareholding has child soldiers 122 changed over time , Jaynet Kabila has always been part of the company , according to more than a decade's worth of Acacia In 2011 she was elected as a national parliamentarian documents seen by CRG in Congo's official registry , and she from Kalemie , the lakeside capital of what is now called signed the company's most recent incorporation documents Tanganyika province. As a public official she is subject to on behalf of both her brother Masengo and niece Sifa.132 laws regarding asset declarations and conflicts of interest . Congo's code of conduct for public officials does not prohibit Acacia holds 43 diamond - mining permits directly and holds her from being involved in business . a minority stake in Kwango Mines,133 which has 53 permits. Together these permits stretch around 450 miles along a) KeratsuHoldingLtd. Congo's southern border with Angola.134 The permits also cover several rivers in Bandundu known to carry diamonds . Perhaps the most valuable known operating asset of Kwango's original total permit area of 21,948 square the Kabila family is an indirect stake in Vodacom Congo kilometers appeared to be bigger than the 20,000 square owned by Jaynet Kabila . Vodacom Congo is the largest kilometers allowed under the mining code.135 All of Acacia and mobile phone operator in the country . It had 8.5 million Kwango's permits are currently in force majeure, according subscribers as of March 2016 , and runs Mpesa , to the mining registry.136 Acacia has had a disputed but a mobile banking longstanding option agreement with Delrand Resources Ltd., a Canadian diamond miner listed on a Toronto stock exchange , The company is controlled by South Africa's Vodacom to develop some of its permits. Group , which owns 51% of shares through a subsidiary based in Mauritius. Vodacom Group's majority shareholder is There is currently artisanal diamond mining taking place on London- based Vodafone , one of the largest phone operators at least some of Acacia and Kwango's permit areas , according in the world.125 Vodacom Group created Vodacom Congo to Bloomberg However, CRG could not find any when it signed a joint venture on 11 December 2001126 with indication that either company has registered diamond a company called Congolese Wireless Network , which exports , according to publicly available mines ministry controlled a mobile phone operating license . CWN retains documents or in declarations to the Extractive Industries 49% of the company. Transparency Initiative . When Acacia and Kwango first
17 Emmanuel Sifa Jaynet Gibril ( Djibril) Adrupiako Kabange Kabila Masengo Financial Daughter Sister Brother
25
% 25 80%
Excel Acacia Holding
43 % 15 % 20 diamondmining permits % 20 29
100
Excel Development Multifunctional Director 30% 60% 75 % Finance Ltd. (UK ) 53 copper mines diamond Haut mining Katanga permits 10 Multidigital mining KwangoMinesSprl % permits Finance Ltd. ( UK ) WimbiDiraAirways 38 Sprl (WDASprl)
70% 50%
5 % 10%
% 12
Développement Tous 3 Azimuts Sprl / DTA Sprl mining permits Aviation Maintenance ServicesSprl 45
25 40% JNS CapitalSprl Société Internationalede Développement Sprl La Societe Congolaise d'Assainissement et Amitié CS RDC Sprl SOURCES
de Developpement / Incorporation documents from Congo and U.K .; | ACR SCADE Congo'sregistryof miningpermits
Note: Someofthesecompaniesare no longer active and / or their Figure 9 | The complex ownershipstructure of Acacia shareholdings may have changed
18 2
Kabila Family Mining Permits DemocraticRepublicofthe Congo