Warrap parliament summons Twic county commissioner over irregularities
May 3, 2015 (JUBA) – Members of parliament in South Sudan’s state of Warrap have summoned a sitting county commissioner over several issues including illegal tax collection which required his appearance before the house to provide explanation and clarification.
The acting head of parliamentary committee for information, communications and public relations, Ariech Mayar Ariech, told Sudan Tribune on Sunday that the state parliament was expecting Twic county commissioner, Biar Biar Riing, to appear before the house on Monday.
“We are expecting commissioner of Twic county to appear before the house on Monday. I am told he has been released by the governor,” Ariech revealed to Sudan Tribune in an exclusive interview on Sunday.
“We are also expecting the minister of finance because he has also been released by the governor. The members will be happy to receive and hear from them on the issues for which they were summoned,” he added.
Commissioner Riing, according to Ariech, has been summoned on the ground that he indulged in collecting local tax in form of cows, a practice which was not sanctioned by the state laws.
He will also answer for charges relating to claims that he had inflated the cost of renovating the residence of the commissioner which was already built.
The other charge was relating to the tension generated from demarcating local borders between payams [sub-districts] within the county and with neighbouring counties [districts] which has not been sanctioned by the house.
However, it was unclear as to why the county council was not responsible for initially summoning the county commissioner as stipulated by law instead of the state parliament’s direct involvement.
(ST)