N. Bahr el Ghazal governor sacks finance minister
March 1, 2014 (JUBA) – Paul Malong Awan, the governor of South Sudan’s border state of Northern Bahr el Ghazal sacked his minister of finance, Madut Santino Deng, on Friday in an order announced on state-owned SSTV.
In a separate order, Governor Awan appointed Lual Dau as the new agriculture minister.
Peter Akoon Maluil, a long serving office manager to successive governors, including Awan, was promoted to become the commissioner of the state revenue authority.
Maluil replaced Riakriak Akok Garang who was sacked along with the suspended state Secretary General, Garang Kuot Kuot. The latter has been replaced with Kiir Yor Lual, who becomes the new Secretary General for the state government.
Sabrino Majok Majok, director general for administration and finance in the state ministry of finance was also removed and replaced with Barnaba Nyok Urac, a local administrative officer.
Majok and Kuot are among the senior civil servants and officials the state government had suspended from their positions after they were suspected to have played a role in the loss of 9.8 million South Sudanese pounds.
An investigatory committee under the chairmanship of the minister local government, Lino Adup Achier, has been assembled on the directives of Governor Awan through the minister labour and public service.
Its terms of references include establishing the exact amount of money which has gone missing or been squandered as well as who was responsible.
It remains unclear whether the former minister of finance was involved, although several knowledgeable legislators claimed the funds were lost through syndicated activities involving senior state officials.
(ST)