N. Bahr el Ghazal caretaker governor allegedly embezzled millions of South Sudanese pounds
October 8, 2015 (JUBA) – The caretaker governor of South Sudan’s Northern Bahr el Ghazal state, Akot Deng Akot, has been accused of allegedly embezzling 3.2 million South Sudanese pounds in less than one month following his appointment by president Salva Kiir.
“He [Akot] did not say what he wanted to do with this such huge money when he asked for it. I told the former minister that a memo for such a huge amount of money should come through council of ministers or the state legislative assembly but my advice was not taken seriously,” the official told Sudan Tribune on condition of anonymity in an investigative interview on Thursday.
The minister of finance, he said, was afraid to ask about the release of the amount because he was hoping he would be in the new government if he cooperated with the new caretaker governor.
The money, according to him, was taken when the caretaker governor traveled to the national capital, Juba, for consultation with the leadership to reshuffle and form his new cabinet after his appointment.
“The caretaker governor also borrowed half a million South Sudanese pounds from a business man called Athian Aciec during his swearing in [ceremony]. Nobody knows what he has done with this money, yet his trip to Juba was facilitated by the state government. This money will now be settled by the state government,” he claimed.
A former minister also claimed in a separate interview that the governor also embezzled 1.9 million South Sudanese pounds and cut the allowances and operational cost meant for all the ministries.
“What happened is something unbelievable because it has never happened in the history of management system in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state. All the operational costs of the ministries and allowances were cut on the directives of the caretaker governor and the money went to him,” he said.
The official who showed Sudan Tribune a document listing ministries affected by the directives, said the manner in which the compulsory cut in salaries was conducted amounted to robbery.
The detailed document showed that 10,500 South Sudanese pounds were cut from the operational cost against the budget of the ministry of water and irrigation, 300,000 from the ministry of health, 18,000 from agriculture, 700,000 from the ministry of animal resources and 800,000 from rural and urban development.
It also showed that money was cut from 10 employees from the state revenue authority, 8 supporting staff of the state legislative assembly, 68 from the ministry of agriculture, 45 from the ministry of health, 36 from the ministry of sports, 16 from the ministry of trade and industry, 28 from the ministry of animal resources, 8 from the physical infrastructure, 38 from the ministry of local government and 39 from the ministry of social welfare in the state.
Other ministries whose employees were affected by the directives cutting the salaries included the ministry of water and irrigation from which 32 employees were not paid. 12 employees from the ministry of labour and public services were also not paid.
The official further claimed the caretaker governor had also directed the ministry of finance to suspend payment of 30 officials affected by the formation of the new cabinet.
“Really what is happening is a robbery. I cannot call it a looting because the extent to which the public resources are being grabbed without hesitation is unprecedented,” he said.
Critics of the caretaker governor alleged that his objective of wanting to be a governor in the first place was to enrich himself at all cost because he knew he would not last long in the office.
“I am not surprised about this allegation because the legacy of this man (Akot Deng Akot) has always been defined by the embezzlement of public resources. You know what he did in Western Bahr el Ghazal when he was deployed there as a police commissioner. He embezzled salaries of the police force for two months. That was what caused the police to protest against lack of payment of their salaries. Now he is yet to pay 600,000 South Sudanese pounds, even after he sold away some of his assets, including houses here in Aweil to repay the money.”
The office of the caretaker governor was unable to make a comment on the allegation and Sudan Tribune could not independently verify the veracity of the allegation, although several officials with working knowledge within the state ministry of finance have confirmed the cut and release of 3.29 million.
(ST)