RUMBEK: Radio technician arrested for taking payment from NCP

By Manyang Mayom

April 11, 2010 (RUMBEK) — Security officers in Rumbek on Friday evening arrested Johnson Lago Machot, a radio technician for the Lakes state-owned Radio Rumbek 98 FM. He was charged with having sold audio recordings to the National Congress Party (NCP) local campaign manager Mathew Mayor.

Director of 98 FM James Magok confirmed the arrest, explaining that the security officers have claimed that Mr. Machot received a sum of 3,500 Sudanese Pounds from the NCP campaign manager in exchange for the audio speeches of the President of the Republic and the one of the President of Southern Sudan made during their public rallies in Rumbek’s Freedom Square.

He further said that the allegations have not been verified.

Mr. Magok also said that the Minister for Information for Lakes State was not happy with the manner in which Mr. Lago was arrested adding that the “98FM Radio Administration should have been informed and the matter should have been dealt with administratively.”

“I don’t know what to do now since my staffs are arrested in such a manner without state authority informing me first,” said James Magok.

Johnson Lago, speaking to Sudan Tribune from behind bars, denied having profited from the sale of the audio. He said that “the radio had laid out its rule that all audio played over radio are charged with money to be paid by a particular party whose own audio is to be paid to radio management.” He said what happened was that Mathew Mayor came to radio station with the intention of paying money to broadcast Omar Al-Bashir’s speech. He said the audio was broadcast on the basis of payment but NCP did not pay their bill. He added that during this process a member of public security Elijah Mabor appeared and demanded for his arrest.

NCP campaign manager Mathew Mayor confirmed that he went to the radio station to pay the bill – his aim was not to buy the audio, he said. He requested to be given the audio but the audio was not given to him by the radio technician.

Nevertheless, Director Magok said that the Governor of Lakes State, Dr. Telar Ring Deng, has instructed the police to immediately release Mr. Lago, but as of 6 p.m. on Saturday evening, Mr. Lago was still behind bars.

The arrest of Mr. Lago of 98FM Rumbek came on the eve of Sudan’s first democratic elections in the last 24 years.

Speaking in his office, Telar Ring Deng said that Johnson Lago would be set free. He defined journalism as the fourth pillar of government structure around the global.

(ST)