This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 002168 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2014 
TAGS: PGOV KCOR ECON CG
SUBJECT: KABILA SUSPENDS SIX MINISTERS IN CORRUPTION SCANDAL 
 
REF: A. KINSHASA 2146 
 
     ¶B. KINSHASA 1934 
 
Classified By: Poloff Edward Bestic for Reasons 1.5 B and D 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY:  In the wake of a parliamentary report on 
corruption, President Kabila on November 25 suspended six 
ministers while the Minister of Porftolio minister suspended 
the managers of ten state-owned enterprises.  In our view, 
this action is an attempt to seize the moral high ground 
before a scheduled parliamentary vote on the issue November 
¶26.  Vice President Bemba's own party issued a statement 
crediting Bemba with the anti-corruption drive, yet asking 
that the accused (one of whom is in the MLC) be allowed to 
defend themselves.  Meanwhile, the CIAT called on the 
Congolese to continue negotiating the subject of dividing up 
state-owned enterprises, and said SOE managers should be 
professional and apolitical -- the latter point likely to be 
seen as pro-Kabila.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
Kabila Suspends Ministers 
------------------------- 
¶2. (U) President Kabila suspended on November 25 six 
ministers who were cited in a recent parliamentary report on 
corruption (reftel A).  The six mentioned in the presidential 
communique include Minister of Mines Eugene Diomi (political 
opposition), Minister of Energy Kalema Lusona (Kabila's 
party, the PPRD), Minister of Public Works Jose Endundo (from 
Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba's party, the MLC), Minister 
of Transport Joseph Olengankhoy (political opposition), 
Minister of Foreign Trade Roger Lumbala (RCD-N), and Minister 
of Higher Education Joseph Mudumbi (RCD-Goma).  The same day, 
Minister of Portfolio Celestin Vunabandi also suspended the 
executives of ten state-owned enterprises (SOEs), including 
the national power, maritime transport, roads and 
hydrocarbons companies.  (Note:  CEEC, the 
diamond-certification authority, was not among these.  End 
Note.) 
 
¶3. (C) According to a top aide to National Assembly President 
Olivier Kamitatu, the National Assembly still plans to meet 
in plenary on November 26 to vote on its commission's report. 
 Kamitatu is under great pressure from those cited in the 
document, the aide said. 
 
¶4. (U) Vice President Bemba's MLC issued a statement on 
November 25, which praised the parliamentary commission's 
work and gave Bemba the credit for leading the fight for good 
governance.  The MLC also asked the GDRC and commission to 
give those accused in the report a chance to explain 
themselves. 
 
 
CIAT Position on State-Owned Enterprises 
---------------------------------------- 
¶5. (U) The 17 ambassadors making up the International 
Committee to Support the Transition (CIAT) issued their own 
communique on November 25 on the subject of dividing up 
state-owned enterprises.  This was a follow-up to CIAT's 
initial communique of October 14 in response to Vice 
President Bembas's call for the CIAT to arbitrate his 
long-standing dispute with the presidency over control of the 
Congolese parastatals (reftel B).  The CIAT called on 
President Kabila and his four vice presidents to discuss the 
matter among themselves and put it on the agenda for their 
next meeting with the CIAT.  The CIAT statement also 
emphasized several principles, including:  the parties should 
continue to negotiate the matter;  the management of SOEs 
should be professional and apolitical;  the parties must not 
use SOEs to finance electoral campaigns; any solution must 
conform to provisions set by the World Bank and the IMF; 
there must be total transparency as called for by the 
Congolese public; and strong support for Parliament's current 
efforts to ensure transparency.  (Note:  Text of the 
communique is being faxed to AF/C.) 
 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
¶6. (C) Kabila's action, coming just before the National 
Assembly's own vote, is a belated attempt to seize the moral 
high ground on this issue.  The MLC's own statement hints at 
Bemba's dilemma -- the desire to defend Endundo, yet also 
present a "clean" public image.  The CIAT statement may be 
interpreted by some here as a minor defeat for Bemba and 
support for Kabila, reflecting the expressed preference to 
establish a new commission to appoint apolitical managers. 
Prevailing CIAT sentiment which we fully supported, however, 
was to convey a message that the politically-based 
traditional "spoils" treatment of parastatals should come to 
an end.  The timing of the communique was deliberately set to 
coincide with the public action suspending the ministers and 
SOE executives, seeking to make it more difficult for 
political leaders so inclined to defend publicly the old 
approach.  End comment. 
MEECE