S. Sudan justice minister acknowledges graft in government
November 16, 2015 (JUBA) – The South Sudanese justice minister, Paulino Wanawilla on Monday acknowledged the existence of corrupt officials in government, saying even staff in his ministry mandated to prosecute those involved in corruption engage in the practice.
“I know in South Sudan corruption is not in one place, but it’s very sad when everybody is stealing,” he said.
“I know [there is corruption]. I have evidences of people in this ministry [of justice] who are legal counselors and take bribes,” the minister added, without further elaboration.
Allegation of corruption and admission of it existence are not new in South Sudan. Since its independence, however, nobody has ever been prosecuted for graft.
Since the ruling Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) came to power in 2005 over $4 billion of state funds have gone unaccounted for, according the South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir.In July 2012, President Kiir wrote to 75 top politicians asking them to return money stolen from public coffers and be exempted from prosecution. It remains unknown if any money was returned to an account opened in neighbouring Kenya.
South Sudan was perceived as one of the most corrupt countries in the world, the 2014 Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) indicated. Only four countries ranked worse than South Sudan, which was 171st out of 175 nations listed.
(ST)