Count Étienne Davignon, the last surviving member of the dozen or so Belgian officials targeted by the complaint filed in 2011 by Patrice Lumumba's family, has decided to contest his referral to the Brussels criminal court. His lawyer, Johan Verbist, confirmed on Friday, March 27, that the former diplomat was appealing the decision rendered in the first instance on March 17 by the Brussels pretrial chamber.
At the time a trainee diplomat for the Belgian Foreign Affairs, Étienne Davignon is suspected of having participated in the illegal transfer of Patrice Lumumba to the secessionist region of Katanga, where the Congolese leader was assassinated by separatists, assisted by Belgian mercenaries, on January 17, 1961. This case, which also concerns the death of Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito, is classified as war crimes and inhumane treatment by the Belgian federal prosecutor's office, after fourteen years of investigation.
If the appeal does not overturn the initial ruling, a trial could take place no earlier than January 2027. A closed-door hearing will soon bring together the lawyers for the various parties to decide on the next steps in the proceedings.
