S. Sudan parliament summons minister over emergency funds

Mar 14, 2006 (JUBA) — The Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly has summoned the finance minister in the government of Southern Sudan to explain how the government spent its 9 months emergency budget.

A source in Juba told Sudan Radio Service (SRS) that Finance Minister Arthur Akuein Chol is expected to appear before the Legislative Assembly when it resumes in a few days’ time to explain how the money was spent.

The source said that questions are brewing because of the delay in paying salaries to civil servants and SPLA [Sudan People’s Liberation Army] troops.

The interim budget approved by the Legislative Assembly totalled 405m US dollars. Of this, 350m dollars was to come from oil revenue and 55m dollars from the multi-donor trust fund.

The director of planning in the Finance Ministry of the government of Southern Sudan, Moses Mabior, says if there is any misappropriation of funds, an inquiry board will be set up and any one found to have squandered money will be prosecuted.

(SRS/ST)