Northern Bahr el Ghazal state in brawl over ex-minister’s arrest
October 4, 2015 (JUBA) – Northern Bahr el Ghazal state in South Sudan is in a political brawl over the arrest of former finance minister, Ayii Bol, sparking tension between proponents and opponents over the move.
There have been conflicting accounts over the cause, with authorities claiming the former minister had misappropriated public funds, a charge he denies.
Bol told Sudan Tribune he was arrested on the directives of the caretaker governor to account for 4.5 million South Sudanese pounds (SSP) missing in the state treasury.
“I have been arrested today (Friday). They are saying I should account for 4.5 million South Sudanese pound which was released in my absence. I was not in the state. This money was released by the acting minister of finance, Bona Makuac Mawien, when I went to Uganda to visit my family,” Bol claimed.
“When I came, I told him and then acting caretaker governor that the money which you have taken was not our money. It was capitation grant from our partners supporting education. I wrote the letter to the acting caretaker governor and he accepted. He acknowledged and mentioned it on the letter. I showed the acknowledgement letter of the acting caretaker governor and the handing over letter I made to the acting minister advising him to not use the money to the investigation committee which has been formed about all these facts but they proceeded with the order and now I am arrested,” he further explained.
The former state development advisor, Yel Deng Nguel, separately told Sudan Tribune Saturday that the arrest of the former finance minister was politically motived, claiming certain local politicians were celebrating in the area to have arrested the former minister.
“They found us in the house of Ayii Bol (former finance Minister). Kiir Yor (former secretary General and myself (Yel Deng Nguel) were in the house of Ayii Bol when they came with the arrest warrant. I told Ayii not to go because I knew this was only a politically motivated action to humiliate [him]. Ayii said he should go and hear from the police what they wanted to hear from him. He went and there they started investigating him and never allowed him to come back even after producing the evidence,” said Nguel.
The official warned that such behaviour would not be tolerated, claiming it was witch hunt and assassination of personal character and integrity in public for political motives.
“Some people started celebrating the arrest. They are now telling people how powerful they are but I think they will not succeed with this witch hunting and character assassination,” said Nguel.
He seconded that there were evidences the money was released in the absence of Ayii, saying the former finance minister and he came and demanded that the acting caretaker governor should acknowledge it.
The money, he said, was not also used for personal matters according to the documentary evidence he saw, which he claimed showed the money was used to settle some financial obligations which the state government owed contractors which built the office of the SPLM (Sudan People’s Liberation Movement) branch office in the state.
The rest of the money was used to pay for activities of the fourth independence celebrations as allowances for the state lawmakers and the state ministry of education.
The state legal advisor, Bol Tong, confirmed the arrest of the former finance minister and said it was “part of an investigation into suspected misappropriation of the public funds.”
(ST)