South Sudan security arrests state oil company official over black market deal

August 1, 2017 (JUBA)- South Sudan security services have arrested a senior state oil company involved in the sale of illicit fuel, despite presidential order instructing crackdown on the business

A high ranking security officer told Sudan Tribune on Tuesday they have arrested a senior official at the state owned oil company, Nilpet, for smuggling out fuel to black market instead of selling at the official rate.

The officer identified the arrested official as James Meth. He said the arrest was made after a week of deployment of security operatives to carry out an investigation behind the cause in fuel price.

“Our investigation found evidence that fuel gets to the black market through officials at the Nilpet. These officials collude with street vendors, some of our colleagues and other security organs. So it has been a syndicated activity that is why a fuel appears today and disappear tomorrow after it is brought,” he said.

The officer said their work has been sanctioned by the top level leadership to carry out a crackdown on the illicit sale of fuel using joint security operation after the president gave the order to crack down on fuel in the black market.

Officials at the state oil company, according to the security officer, make a profit by creating fuel scarcity in the country and in smuggling the fuel to the black market where they sell it at an absurd price.

(ST)