The verdict was delivered on September 18, 2026, following proceedings over the management of funds held by the Fund for the Repair and Compensation of Victims of Uganda's Illicit Activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (FRIVAO).
The court also sentenced Chançard Bolukola Osony, the fund's former acting coordinator, to seven years of forced labour. Both men were also barred from voting and standing for election for five years and excluded from public office for the same period.
The case concerns several financial transactions involving FRIVAO funds. During the proceedings, prosecutors cited, among other transactions, $14.3 million transferred to Congo Energy and $4 million allocated to the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN), alongside other payments that the prosecution considered irregular.
The funds managed by FRIVAO are linked to reparations paid to the DRC following the International Court of Justice's ruling ordering Uganda to compensate Congo for damage caused by its activities during the conflict in the country.
The money was intended to support reparations and compensation for Congolese victims.
The prosecution had requested a 15-year forced-labour sentence for Mutamba and Bolukola. The court ultimately handed Mutamba a 10-year sentence and Bolukola seven years.
Mutamba had rejected the accusations against him and did not appear during the final stage of the proceedings.
He had previously said he was being targeted by people opposed to him and had maintained that the case was linked to his position on transparency while serving as justice minister.
The latest verdict is Mutamba's second conviction since leaving the justice ministry in 2025.
On September 2, 2025, the Court of Cassation sentenced him to three years of forced labour after finding him guilty of misappropriating $19 million intended for the construction of a prison in Kisangani.
The court also ordered him to return the money and barred him from voting or standing for election for five years after completing his sentence, as well as from holding public office.
