DRC-linked Sh2.2 billion payment draws scrutiny in White House investigation

DRC-linked Sh2.2 billion payment draws scrutiny in White House investigation

The White House investigation is expected to establish the origin of the money, the purpose of the transaction and whether there was a formal commitment to pay the Kennedy Centre.

A $17.6 million (Sh2.27 billion) transfer from a bank account linked to the Congolese government to a Texas-based security and defence company is at the centre of a White House investigation involving two associates of US President Donald Trump, The New York Times reports.

The transfer, made in May 2025 to TX-AT, is linked to a dispute between Richard Grenell, former president of the Kennedy Centre, and Alina Habba Mildon, Trump’s former personal attorney, the US newspaper reported on Saturday, October 17.

Habba Mildon accuses Grenell of involvement in a financial arrangement in which $5.6 million (Sh722.4 million) was supposed to go to the Kennedy Centre but was never paid to the cultural institution.

Grenell has denied the allegations, saying he neither received money from her husband, Turkish businessman Turhan Mildon, who has links with Kinshasa, nor requested that funds intended for the institution be redirected.

The White House investigation is expected to establish the origin of the money, the purpose of the transaction and whether there was a formal commitment to pay the Kennedy Centre.

DR Congo connection

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The transaction has drawn attention to Turhan Mildon’s business and diplomatic ties with DR Congo.

According to the Times, Habba Mildon initially presented the $17.6 million (Sh2.27 billion) as money originating from her husband. However, the newspaper reported that the transfer was made from a bank account affiliated with the Congolese government.

Turhan Mildon has acknowledged serving as an adviser to Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and holding a Congolese diplomatic passport. He also heads Milvest, a company that has secured several public contracts in DR Congo, including the construction of the Kinshasa Financial Centre.

However, these connections do not in themselves establish that the money came directly from the Congolese state budget or was linked to Milvest’s public contracts.

Purpose of payment remains unclear

TX-AT, the company that received the transfer, specialises in security and defence services.

Grenell acknowledged providing consulting services to the company in 2024 but said he had no connection with it when the transfer was made in May 2025. He has also denied involvement in the transaction.

The New York Times reported that the precise commercial arrangement behind the payment remains unclear. The company and Congolese officials had not responded to the newspaper’s requests for comment.