Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe, responded to criticism from DR Congo Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner over Rwanda’s Formula 1 Grand Prix agreement by pointing to a Belgian criminal investigation arising from allegations against members of President Félix Tshisekedi’s family.
In a post on X, Nduhungirehe wrote: “The DRC Foreign Minister should worry about the ongoing criminal investigation in Belgium on money laundering and plundering of Katanga’s mineral resources by President Tshisekedi and his family, rather than worrying about success stories in neighbouring countries.”
His remarks followed Wagner’s criticism of Formula 1’s decision to sign a 10-year agreement with Rwanda to stage the African Grand Prix.
Wagner said holding the race in Rwanda would help “polish the image of an authoritarian leader” and described the decision as morally and financially indefensible.
Belgian prosecutors carried out searches at several properties in Brussels, Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant as part of a money-laundering investigation opened after a complaint was filed in 2025.
The Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the searches but declined to identify the people or properties involved, citing the confidentiality of the investigation and the presumption of innocence.
Lawyers representing organisations from Katanga and former officials of DR Congo’s state-owned mining company Gécamines said the complaint named members of Tshisekedi’s family and other people close to the president.
The complaint accused those named of involvement in the unlawful exploitation of mines and the diversion of mineral revenues from Haut-Katanga and Lualaba provinces.
Belgian prosecutors have not identified President Tshisekedi as a target of the searches. No arrests or charges have been announced, and the allegations have not been proven in court.
Elie GATETE
RADIOTV10