Reverend Paul Mukendi continues to claim his innocence and taunt the Quebec authorities, convinced that he cannot be reached in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he allegedly fled a year ago.
• Read also: A year’s journey for Reverend Mukendi
• Read also: Tax authorities demand $31,000 from Reverend Mukendi’s wife
Today I am a free man! The fugitive exclaimed in a video posted on social media last Friday marking the first anniversary of his ‘win’.
A year earlier, Paul Mukendi left the country when he was going to serve an eight-year prison sentence for sexual assault and, on several occasions, was a former believer who was a minor at the time of the events.
Since then, the self-described “apostle of Quebec” has not hesitated to compare his journey to that of Jesus and ridicule the accusations against him.
“Do you see me assaulting a girl? Honestly! And when you just look at his face, you can get on your nerves. You tell yourself it can only be if I’m bewitched,” he shot at his last capsule, denigrating his victim.
Unreachable
However, even if he publicly says where he is and the Quebec City Police Service (SPVQ) says an investigation is underway to find him, Paul Mukendi remains elusive for now.
“Unlike many other countries, Canada does not have an extradition agreement with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, whose judicial system is often questionable,” explains Roger Verland, a former SPVQ investigator.
“Our powers as peace officers have no jurisdiction in this country, we cannot obtain them ourselves,” he continues.
The fugitive is well aware of his situation, and he also taunted the Canadian authorities to come and arrest him on Friday.
“I am fine here in Kinshasa. […] I’m not hiding. Let them come to take me if they dare,” challenged the fallen priest.
The law as defined by the previous cases
For Roger Verland, the case of Paul Mukendi, who was again convicted of sexually assaulting a second victim a few months after his escape, had a major impact on the Quebec justice system.
This case showed, unfortunately, that the network networks in Quebec are very wide. Which means there are many fish that can escape.
“But he created a kind of jurisprudence. The former investigator concluded that his escape gave the king gas to more systematically request that the accused be held pending trial.
Never ending epic
- October 3, 2017 | Paul Mukendi has been arrested by the SPVQ and faces several sexual charges.
- June 30, 2019 | Paul Mukendi was convicted of nine counts, including sexual assault, assault with bodily harm, and threatening to kill. The victim was 14 years old at the start of the 12-year crime period.
- December 17, 2019 | Revenu Québec has filed eight charges of tax evasion against Paul Mukendi and the Evangelical Center.
- February 27, 2020 | Paul Mukendi was sentenced to eight years in prison for sexual assault.
- March 3, 2020 | The Court of Appeals releases Paul Mukendi until the appeal is heard.
- July 29, 2020 | The Supreme Court notes that Paul Mukendi will have to go through another trial for the sexual assault of two other people.
- June 11, 2021 | The Supreme Court issues its decision on the bankruptcy of Paul Mukendi. His unsecured debt is $432,597.63 including $391,897.97 in tax debt.
- August 16, 2021 | The Court of Appeal upholds Paul Mukendi’s conviction verdict. He has until 3 pm on August 20 to surrender to prison authorities and begin his sentence.
- August 18, 2021 | Fr Paul Mukendi. It will later be found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it cannot be extradited.
- December 10, 2021 | Paul Mukendi, in his absence, was sentenced to an additional two years in prison for sexual assault again.
- August 18, 2022 | It’s been a year since Paul Mukendi fled justice in Quebec. The next day, he celebrated his “victory” year by mocking the authorities on social media.
