DRC opposition leader held Italian citizenship so may not be able to contest election
Rome — The Democratic Republic of Congo’ s (DRC) opposition leader Moise Katumbi held Italian citizenship from October 2000 until January 2017, the Italian town where he was a resident said on Wednesday, jeopardising his hopes of contesting a presidential election later this year. The DRC’s attorney-general said last week that he had opened an investigation into allegations about Katumbi’s Italian nationality, first reported by Paris-based magazine Jeune Afrique. Under the DRC’s constitution, its nationals cannot hold dual citizenship and have to petition the government to regain their citizenship if they take up a foreign nationality. The provision, however, is laxly enforced and many prominent politicians are believed to have second citizenships. The town of San Vito dei Normanni in southern Italy confirmed in an e-mail to Reuters that Katumbi held Italian citizenship for more than 16 years. Citizenship status in Italy is commonly registered by local town halls. Katumbi’s spokespe...
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