South Sudan parliament urges President Kiir to suspend corrupt officials

June 12, 2012 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s national parliament has called on the president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, to suspend all the senior officials implicated in corruption until further notice.

The latest development came in the aftermath of Kiir’s revelation that 75 identified senior officials have stolen US$4 billion in the last seven years and urged them to return the money.

On Tuesday the lawmakers discussed the statement, which he reiterated on Monday during the reopening of the August House, after three months of recess.

The House on Tuesday passed a resolution calling on the President to suspend all the present officials in government who are implicated in the corruption scandal.

Also, the parliament called on the President to freeze the bank accounts of the mentioned 75 officials, pending investigations and prosecution of the culprits.

The former minister of petroleum in the former Government of National Unity in Khartoum, Lual Achuek, declared himself in the House to be one of the former officials who have received Kiir’s letter.

Achuek told the parliament that he was ready to defend himself in the court of law and urged for disclosure of the remaining 74 culprits.

Achuek has involved in a disagreement in 2011 with Sudan People’s Liberation Movement secretary general, Pagan Amum, in which they accused one another of being corrupt. Achuek accused Amum of stealing US$30 million of public funds and Amum accused Achuek of being a sell out to Khartoum.

They both lost their government portfolios in the new cabinet after the independence of South Sudan.

It is not clear how Kiir will react to the latest measures against the corrupt officials imposed by the national parliament.

Kiir is also under pressure from the people of South Sudan to punish the culprits and retrieve the stolen money.

(ST)