DR Congo defends "golden parachute" decree

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has defended decrees granting ministers lifetime salaries and other benefits.

In a statement released on Monday, the government said payments "should not enrich officials."

The two decrees awarding former ministers at least $ 2,000 (£ 1,530) were widely criticized.

Most people in DR Congo live in poverty.

The outgoing government said that the state gave ministers "a minimum to meet their basic needs, including food, shelter and health care".

Payments "are to stop them [ministers] to fall into destitution, "the statement said.

The two decrees, signed by incumbent Prime Minister Bruno Tshibala in November, have only been widely reported by the media recently.

The first decree provides former prime ministers with monthly salaries equal to 30 percent of those of the current prime minister, a business clbad flight per year and a monthly housing allowance of $ 5,000, according to the Reuters news agency.

The second degree gives the former ministers salaries equal to 30% of those of the current minister and $ 1,000 a month for accommodation. They will also receive a business clbad flight a year, reports Reuters.

& # 39; Excessive & # 39;

Decrees have been heavily criticized across the political spectrum.

An adviser to former President Joseph Kabila said that they were "not compatible with our socio-economic context".

Patrick Nkanga wrote on Twitter: "This is excessive and unnecessarily expensive for the public treasury."

But the government defended the decrees and said they were not retroactive, so only members of the current government and the future government could benefit.

The new President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, took office last month. He succeeded Kabila in the first peaceful transfer of power in the country for nearly 60 years.

The election results have been widely criticized, with reports of an agreement between Kabila and Tshiseki – although this has been denied by both sides.

In Transparency International's latest Transparency International 2017 Corruption Perception Index, the DRC ranked 161 out of 180 countries.