Congolese presidential hopeful Moise Katumbi has been sentenced in absentia to 36 months in prison.<\/p>\n
The wealthy businessman, who owns one of Africa’s biggest football clubs, is currently out of Democratic Republic Congo seeking medical treatment.<\/p>\n
The 51-year-old was found guilty of illegally selling a property in Lubumbashi, his eastern power base.<\/p>\n
He had the backing of seven opposition parties to run for the presidency in elections due to be held in November.<\/p>\n
President Joseph Kabila, in power since 2001, is nearing the end of his second term and he is constitutionally obliged to step down by December.<\/p>\n
But there is growing political tension as it is not clear if he will relinquish power.<\/p>\n
The court in Lubumbashi, DR Congo’s second city, also fined the football tycoon $6m (\u00a34.1m) for illegally selling the property, which a Greek citizen claimed belonged to his family.<\/p>\n
Katumbi flew out of the country on 20 May, a day after the authorities issued an arrest warrant for him on separate charges of hiring foreign mercenaries – allegations he denies.<\/p>\n
The BBC’s Poly Muzalia in the capital, Kinshasa, says Katumbi’s legal team is likely to appeal against the verdict.<\/p>\n
Moise Katumbi was governor of the south-eastern Katanga province for almost a decade.<\/p>\n
In September last year he broke ties with the ruling party when he accused President Kabila, his former ally, of wanting to cling to power.<\/p>\n
His popularity is partly down to his job as the president of a great source of Congolese pride – football club TP Mazembe.<\/p>\n
They are Africa’s reigning football champions, having won the African Champions League for the fifth time in November.
\n–
\nSource: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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