Nearly a year after accusing Patrick Muyaya of orchestrating her 45-day sequestration, a United States–Congolese entrepreneur Gisèle Busima, is pushing back against what she calls “a campaign of intimidation” as her family is summoned by prosecutors and fresh allegations surface.
In Kinshasa, the case of Gisèle Nebale Busima, a Congolese businesswoman and U.S. citizen, has continued to make waves.
Narrating her ordeal, Busima’s lawyer, René St-Fort, hinted that on July 23, Busima’s father and brother received a summons from the Gombe public prosecutor’s office in Congo to be ‘heard’ on unspecified matters.
He added that when her brother, Martin Busima, appeared before the Judicial Brigade, he was informed that Patrick Muyaya had filed a defamation complaint against him and their father.
“For the businesswoman’s supporters, this is not a mere procedural act but a clear act of intimidation aimed at pushing her to drop her complaints.
“It’s a well-oiled machine, where the levers of the state are used to settle private scores,” he stated.
Busima accuses the Minister of Communication, General Christian Ndaywel, and Colonel Ralph Muzimba of orchestrating her abduction on September 30, 2024, and holding her for more than six weeks in the Castello Hotel-a property seized by Congolese intelligence services- until her release.
René St-Fort stated that between 2017 and 2021, Busima had both a personal and professional relationship with Patrick Muyaya, adding: “She financed his 2018 legislative campaign in the hope of gaining economic opportunities in the public sector. But the relationship soured.
“She was gradually sidelined from projects and tensions mounted. She was subjected to invasive monitoring through the Pegasus spyware, and teams of hackers recruited across Africa by Muyaya took control of her phone, stealing her identity, and extorting money from her relatives.
“Since her release in late November 2024, Busima has waged legal battles on several fronts. She has filed a complaint in Brussels and is considering an appeal to UN bodies.
“In the United States, where she now resides part-time, she has the support of the Clinton Foundation and human rights NGOs, including Amnesty International. The U.S. State Department is also reportedly following the case.
“Muyaya’s reappointment as Minister of Communication is seen by her supporters as ‘a worrying signal about the authorities’ willingness to handle this case impartially.
“This continuation in office, despite the gravity of the accusations, is viewed by Busima’s allies as evidence of a political will to protect a minister considered strategic for presidential communications.
René St-Fort, denounces the minister’s actions as a ‘flagrant violation of her fundamental rights’ and calls on ‘the Congolese Government to intervene in the matter and rein in Minister Muyaya by asking him to end his campaign of intimidation’.
“For Busima, the battle is now as much symbolic as it is legal. They can summon my entire family; I will not give in. This fight goes beyond me.”
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