Lakes’ ousted speaker-for-13-days confiscated assembly funds, says rival
October 15, 2008 (PARIS) — Lakes State Speaker Isaiah Alier Machinkok today accused Bullian Kot Beny, who was speaker for 13 days, of confiscating 90,000 Sudanese pounds from the assembly, the equivalent of operational costs for three months.
Machinkok was recently replaced by Beny during a power struggle in Rumbek, the capital of Lakes State, between some legislators and a group of others backed by the executive. However he and his deputy were reinstated last week by South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit.
“He took away this three months of operation cost money while we really are left with nothing in our hand to run the office activities,” said Machinkok in telephone contact with the Sudan Tribune from Rumbek on Thursday.
The money was allegedly used by a group of assembly members to stay at a safari-style hotel, holding daily meetings while missing normal sessions of the Lakes assembly in Lakes State. The group has not attended assembly meetings since their impeachment was cancelled by President Salva Kiir, said Machinkok.
According to Lakes State Assembly Clerk Benjamin Matiok, the 90,000 pounds were withdrawn from Nile Commercial Bank (NCB) through a false check dated 7/10/2008. Matiok also added that Lakes State Minister for Finance, Trade and Industry Philip Marol Mading instructed his director general of finance to release the money to Bullian Kot and his team. The signatures in the bank include those of Hawa Lual and two other members of the assembly.
Machinkok and other assembly members last year succeeded in impeaching Mading, but the minister was reinstated when the governor of the state appealed to South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit.
The government of Lakes state is one of the ten state governments of the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS), which was established in 2005 under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the warring National Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM). The agreement largely ended Africa’s longest war, though conflict continued in Darfur and elsewhere.
Lakes State has been headed by Governor Daniel Awet Akot since the fall of former Governor John Lat Zechariah on September 5, 2006. The government was established through power-sharing of the eight counties of Lakes state, including southern political parties that did participate during the signing of the CPA.
(ST)