Alleged theft in Kiir’s office was a crime by insiders – report

June 16, 2013 (JUBA) – The committee which was formed to investigate the alleged thefts in the office of the South Sudan’s president, Salva Kiir Mayardit, has released its final report saying the alleged thefts were not from external culprits but an organized act by insiders within the office.

Cash money totalling hundreds of thousands of combined South Sudanese pounds and US dollars were stolen from the highest office of the land twice in two consecutive weeks in March this year.

The two separate theft instances occurred in the Office of the President’s West Wing on the 15th and 23rd March 2013, respectively.

The criminal acts were not revealed by the office until Sudan Tribune broke the news about it a week later.

In reaction to the revelation, South Sudan’s president, Salva Kiir Mayardit, issued a republican order No 01/2013, forming a committee chaired by the chief of the anti-corruption commission, Justice John Gatwech Lul, to investigate into the thefts.

Kiir also suspended, and handed over to the committee for investigation, his most senior administrators in the office, namely: the Chief Administrator, Mayen Wol Jong; the Executive Director, Yel Luol Koor; and the Controller of Accounts, Nhomout Agoth Cithiik.

In a press release distributed by the Office of the President on Friday, dated 14th June 2013, the report suggested that the total amount found by the committee to have been stolen from the office is 208,543 South Sudanese pounds and $14,000 US dollars, plus two laptop computers.

John Gatwech who chaired the investigation committee also held a press conference on the same day and explained the committee findings.

The report said that the manner of the thefts suggested that they were a colluding syndicate from staff inside the president’s office.

The report also suspected the secrecy and indecision to report the alleged thefts to the police by the office of the president despite the gravity of the crime.

“In spite of the gravity of the crime, there was a remarkable indecision from the senior staff in the OoP [Office of the President] to report the matter to the authorities or even enhance security on site,” the report criticised.

It said the senior officials in the office were more concerned with containing the theft within the office rather than tackling it or its underlying causes. They also reported the matter to the police very late on 29thMarch 2013; which happened 14 days after the first alleged theft and 6 days after the second alleged theft.

“The case was belatedly reported to the police on the 29th March 2013. Hence, vital evidence was compromised by this lapse of time. Although there is a circumstantial evidence which can be used to secure conviction, the delay in the police investigation meant that important evidence was compromised or lost,” underscored the report.

Although the presidential order gives mandate to the investigation committee to establish legal measures that should be taken against the culprits, the committee only recommended administrative measures against the three suspended senior officials and fell short of recommending prosecuting anybody.

(ST)