SPLM/GoSS conflicting statements on usage of Bashir’s $60 million

Jan 27, 2007 — It is unbelievable to continue to hear different stories coming from and GoSS SPLM officials on the usage of donation of $60 million to SPLM which was disclosed by Bashir on 9th January 2007. Well for those who did not want to believe me in my argument of who can handle the investigation of the usage of the said $60 million, let them read what Yasir Arman is saying now and compare with other SPLM or GoSS statements on the issue. It is very clear that there was some foul play with the said money as there are many versions of the story now and all conflicting with each other.

I’m sure people can read and deduce the statements coming from our SPLM officials. From the recent statement in Khartoum by an SPLM Senior official, Yasir Arman, it is clear that someone in the SPLM is now accusing Arthur Akuen of indirectly pocketing $42 million from that $60 million by saying that the person who controlled that money only gave SPLM the amount of $18 million. And we should also doubt whether SPLM can even account for that $18 million it claimed to have received. How do you allow one individual to control such a large sum of money; only SPLM could allow that of curse?

Also it should be very clear to all that there was wide-spread corruption in the interim period because I was in Rumbek and it was disaster which happened there surrounding the $17 million allocated by the International Community Supporting the CPA to help SPLM form bases and structures of Government of South Sudan. Yasir Arman might not be aware of that by confusing the Bashir donation with what the European powers were paying for already. One cannot assume that the European powers who supported the CPA would have not given SPLM something to start with. There was a even group of European accountants from KPMG who were sent from Britain to handle the paying of the money to SPLM officials but SPLM leaders outwitted the Europeans and KPMG accountants by shutting SPLM organs down and sending people away making it difficult for the accountant’s group and donors who could trace the usage of funds to help SPLM set up bases of Governmental institutions. Even the $17 million was just first instalment and there was more to come from the Western CPA bakers.

That was why the $60 million was actually given by Bashir to bring SPLM and Southern Sudan officials from everywhere to Khartoum and even to South Sudan and not to help set up bases for GoSS as Arman argued in his statement. Dr. Samson Kwaje, the wrong man to head a committee, tried to argue the same thing also claiming the money was not to bring the SPLM cadres from abroad. It is well established fact that some SPLM officials who had been in Nairobi or South Sudan during the conflict were even fighting the bringing in of the Diaspora experts because they feared their chances in securing positions and also stashing away cash will be undermined by bringing in Diaspora experts and so it is just normal for officials to argue that the money was not for bringing in South Sudan technocrats from abroad in order to cover up their own role in misusing the funds. At any rate hundreds of people from one ethnic group and one area in particular wee selectively sent tickets to go to Nairobi top join SPLM office bearers while other ethnic groups while marginalised and never sent any ticket.

An independent committee is the only option out and it should be able to unravel all the donations SPLM received in the interim period to help it set up and I’m sure such an investigation committee may discover over $100 million misappropriated funds which might have gone into the pockets of individuals who have gone on to pay for mortgages and cars in the West for their families and the rest for houses, cars and bank accounts in Nairobi, Kampala, etc.

Why is it difficult for GoSS to form a probing committee with independent auditors and accountants headed by an independent senior respected official to investigate all donations in that interim period? To focus on one donation is meaningless because in money matters you can easily use other amounts to account for the money you have eaten. A true investigation will centre first on all donations received during that time and then isolate the case of $60 million later. Without this we are just entertaining a state of corruption to continue and the culprits will be allowed to get away with a criminal act and serving still as encouragement to others to do the same.

By Eng. Charles Kisanga

Chairman of Western Equatoria Azande Community world wide Organisation. He can be reached on [email protected].