News
President Kiir’s office disputes amount of money stolen
March 27, 2013 (WASHINGTON) – The office of South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit has that confirmed cash money was stolen from the presidential compound and called for a thorough investigation into the criminal act.
Kiir’s office on Wednesday issued a press release in response to yesterday’s report by Sudan Tribune in which it confirmed the incident, but disputed the amount of the missing money.
The statement, a copy of which was seen by Sudan Tribune, explained that the combined amount of US dollars and South Sudanese pounds (SSP) that was stolen was in hundreds of thousands and not in millions.
A senior aide close to the president on Tuesday said that around six million in cash of South Sudanese pounds and US dollars was robbed by unknown suspects.
The communications department however said the amount stolen was comrpised of approximately 176,000 South Sudanese Pound (SSP) and $14,000 respectively.
The press release further explained that part of the cash was to be used to pay salaries of junior staff that did not have bank accounts in which to deposit their monthly salaries in accordance with the payroll system.
The rest of the money was meant for special projects including the opening of a new section in the presidential complex.
Kiir’s office further emphasized that the robbery took place in the “administrative block of the general Office of the President complex”.
“At no time was the actual Office of the President compromised or vulnerable, as it is located in a separate and fully enclosed compound. Security around the Office of the President is extremely controlled and the safety of the President was never compromised”.
It further assured that the authorities were carrying out an investigation and that details will be made available upon its conclusion.
“The necessary authorities, including the Presidential Protection Unit and the Police (CID Unit) are involved in the investigation. The investigation is currently under due process, and further details will only be made available upon its conclusion. Additional security and safety measures have been put in place to ensure that the same type of incident is not repeated,” reads the last paragraph of the one-page document.
South Sudan’s information minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin admitted money was stolen, but said media reports should have specified the exact amount and which part of the president’s office was involved.
“As you know, the president’s office is very large and comprises several sections. But the administration has launched investigations into the matter, which was very unfortunate,” Marial said Thursday.
Office of the President press release
(ST)
Kiir’s office on Wednesday issued a press release in response to yesterday’s report by Sudan Tribune in which it confirmed the incident, but disputed the amount of the missing money.
The statement, a copy of which was seen by Sudan Tribune, explained that the combined amount of US dollars and South Sudanese pounds (SSP) that was stolen was in hundreds of thousands and not in millions.
A senior aide close to the president on Tuesday said that around six million in cash of South Sudanese pounds and US dollars was robbed by unknown suspects.
The communications department however said the amount stolen was comrpised of approximately 176,000 South Sudanese Pound (SSP) and $14,000 respectively.
The press release further explained that part of the cash was to be used to pay salaries of junior staff that did not have bank accounts in which to deposit their monthly salaries in accordance with the payroll system.
The rest of the money was meant for special projects including the opening of a new section in the presidential complex.
Kiir’s office further emphasized that the robbery took place in the “administrative block of the general Office of the President complex”.
“At no time was the actual Office of the President compromised or vulnerable, as it is located in a separate and fully enclosed compound. Security around the Office of the President is extremely controlled and the safety of the President was never compromised”.
It further assured that the authorities were carrying out an investigation and that details will be made available upon its conclusion.
“The necessary authorities, including the Presidential Protection Unit and the Police (CID Unit) are involved in the investigation. The investigation is currently under due process, and further details will only be made available upon its conclusion. Additional security and safety measures have been put in place to ensure that the same type of incident is not repeated,” reads the last paragraph of the one-page document.
South Sudan’s information minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin admitted money was stolen, but said media reports should have specified the exact amount and which part of the president’s office was involved.
“As you know, the president’s office is very large and comprises several sections. But the administration has launched investigations into the matter, which was very unfortunate,” Marial said Thursday.
Office of the President press release
(ST)