.jpg){kind=link}
A man by the name of Israel Bongo was perhaps the most famous man in the Democratic Republic of Congo after it was discovered he made himself pass as a fake MP in the National Assembly of Congo.
In late October, it was discovered that Bongo had effectively stolen the identity of an actual deputy from Congo’s National Assembly for almost six months. Bongo’s scheme was uncovered during a private meeting at Hotel Beatrice where he was arrested by local law enforcement.
How did the Fake Congolese MP pull off the scheme for so long?
Israel Bongo managed to pass as an MP by attending plenary sessions and getting actively involved with actual members of the National Assembly. To keep the scheme believable, Bongo also used Facebook to keep the charade alive.
He used his Facebook account to publish pictures of having discussions with MPs, also being able to engage with legislation, and participating in an extraordinary session to install the Commissions at the National Assembly.
Even more strangely, however, is the fact that the name did not appear on the 2023 list of elected MPs. Instead, the man who was the fake MP presented himself as an entrepreneur, a prophet and a politician.
The recovered statements also show that the fake Congolese MP, also said that he had previously presented a project for the modernization of Kinshasa, the capital of Congo, to the president of the provincial assembly.
Congolese media reported the man was seen in several official acts
Reports from Congolese media have stated that the fake MP was frequently spotted in official acts, in which he reportedly went as far as presenting himself as a Congolese senator.
Additionally, it has also been reported that the modality of stealing politicians’ identities is not new in the country, especially in Congo’s administrative branch. Despite this, the unmasking of the individual was also reportedly surprising, because many of them went as far as considering the fake MP as an actual colleague.
One MP went on to speak to local news media in Congo, and went as far as to say, “The day this pseudo-deputy wore the parliamentary symbol, I greeted him like a colleague.”
The schemer was confronted by a journalist, who showed the evidence of this scheme and was immediately arrested and expected to go through a trial for his crimes.
This situation has raised red flags for the Congolese institutions given that now some of the actual MPs may have engaged with similar schemes, undermining the value of Congolese democratic institutions.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
