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Alert

Director of "Tapis Rouge" newspaper jailed in Kinshasa

(JED/IFEX) - On 18 December 2004, Feu D'or Bonsange Ifonge, director-general of the Kinshasa-based newspaper "Tapis Rouge", was arrested by police inspectors from the Kinshasa/Gombe Public Prosecutor's Office. Bonsange was first held at the Public Prosecutor's Office's detention centre before being transferred, the following day, to Kinshasa's Penitentiary and Reeducation Centre (Centre pénitentiaire et de rééducation de Kinshasa, CPRK, formerly Makala Central Prison).

Since his arrest, the journalist has been interrogated on two separate occasions about an article published in the 16 December edition (issue 244) of "Tapis Rouge", entitled, "Running Battle at the DGI [Direction générale des impôts, Taxation Department], Director-General Kabala and Director Bulambo Are Headed for the Makala Prison".

The article said public funds were being mismanaged and misappropriated at the DGI. It related a story about how Bulambo Kilosho's late spouse, who died several months ago in Canada, was buried in a brass coffin. Kilosho is director-general of the Department of Major Corporations, a DGI division. "His wife's body was transported back to Kinshasa in a brass coffin. How did [Kilosho] find the means to pay for such an [extravagant] expense? The average monthly salary for a director in the civil service is about 20,000 Congolese francs [approx. US$50]. This demonstrates how the public treasury is being bled dry by Mr Bulambo Kilosho (. . .)," the article reported. The article was signed by Thony Héritier, which authorities believe is a pseudonym.

On 22 December, a JED representative met with Bonsange at the CPRK. He said he had appeared in court on 20 December and was asked once again to reveal the full identity of the article's author. Bonsange claims that Thony Héritier is the journalist's real name.

Following the hearing, Bonsange filed a formal request for a provisonal release. The request is currently being considered by judicial authorities.