A television personality, who deceptively presents himself as a journalist, has cultivated a reputation for blackmail. This illicit practice is his preferred method, utilized on his television platform and across social media, to extract funds from prominent political figures and business leaders. Following a recent smear campaign against Minister of State Guy Loando Mboyo and Minister José Mpanda Kabangu, based on a fabricated investigation—a sordid undertaking for which he reportedly received $100,000 USD—he is now allegedly targeting Vice Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Lihau and attempting to extort Minister Jean-Lucien Busa concerning the Plantations et Huileries du Congo (PHC) case, which is unequivocally transparent.

In his online videos, this self-proclaimed journalist, who is in reality a TV host, launches attacks on PHC, its leadership, shareholders, and several Congolese public figures. His accusations revolve around the Congolese State’s voluntary divestment from its shareholding in PHC, a process that occurred under Jean-Lucien Busa’s tenure as Minister of Portfolio.

Regarding this matter, Prime Minister Judith Suminwa, initially misled by PHC’s detractors, had instructed the Minister of State, Minister of Justice, to present the case before the courts. Acting as the representative of the Congolese State, the Minister of Justice brought the case before the Commercial Court. It was registered under RRC 222. After due process, the court issued an order affirming the validity and legality of the Congolese State’s voluntary divestment from its stake in PHC.

However, refusing to accept this judicial decision, PHC’s adversaries, driven by envy and a strong desire to gain control over the company, enlisted the services of the blackmailing TV host for a sustained campaign of sabotage against the company and its executives. This arrangement, it is understood, was brokered for $50,000 USD.

In a statement released on Monday, July 6, PHC unequivocally denounced the spread of false information against it. The company reaffirmed its commitment to operating strictly within the laws of the Democratic Republic of Congo, under the oversight of competent authorities, and in full compliance with the governance rules applicable to its activities.

PHC emphasized that any attempt to challenge the Commercial Court’s decision—a court, it stressed, that was approached by the Congolese State itself—through baseless allegations, disinformation campaigns, or slanderous remarks, cannot invalidate this judicial ruling.

While reiterating its dedication to freedom of expression and press freedom, PHC nevertheless cautioned that these liberties do not justify the dissemination of serious, defamatory, and false accusations that harm the honor, reputation, and legitimate interests of the company, its leaders, shareholders, or any other involved party.

In the same document, Plantations et Huileries du Congo declared its intention to initiate appropriate legal proceedings against the perpetrators, co-perpetrators, or any individual knowingly relaying defamatory statements or demonstrably false information, ensuring that all parties are held accountable for their actions before the competent legal jurisdictions.