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December 17, 2021 - 12:00 PM
After being accused of uttering threats towards people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a man living in Kelowna has pleaded guilty to war crimes.
Kibwe Ngoie-Ntombe is an Australian who lives in Kelowna, according to an RCMP media release. Videos he created, in which a man is alleged to have threatened people in the Congo’s the Katanga region, circulated online.
The Department of Justice Canada’s War Crimes Program received complaints and an investigation was launched in June 2020. It was led by the Extraterritorial and Sensitive Investigations team, which is part of the National Division RCMP's Sensitive and International Investigations section.
Yesterday, Dec. 16, Ngoie-Ntombe pleaded guilty to one count of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm and one count of wilful promotion of hatred.
"I am very proud of the women and men who worked together on this investigation,” officer in charge of the RCMP War Crimes Section Insp. François Courtemanche said in the release.
“These highly skilled police officers and civilian employees had to review very graphic material in the pursuit of justice. Their collective efforts have combined to send a message that the wilful promotion of hatred and propagation of intolerance is not accepted in Canada, and I am hopeful that this early resolution will provide some closure and peace to the victims."
Ngoie-Ntombe’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 17, 2022.
READ MORE: Kelowna resident faces hate speech charge after complaint made to War Crimes Program
The FBI, Department of Justice, Canada Border Services Agency, Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada and Australian Federal Police were also involved in the investigation.
RCMP said without the “effort and professional dedication” of the B.C. Prosecution Service this outcome would not have been possible.
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