South Sudanese court prosecutes senior presidential officials over money theft
February 22, 2016 (JUBA) – A South Sudanese court in the national capital, Juba, has begun a hearing on Monday of senior presidential officials and several other junior workers believed to have played a role in forging President Salva Kiir’s seals and signature to secure approval and release of millions of South Sudanese pounds and dollars from the central bank.
Anne Christos Ladu, accountant at the Office of the President, Chaat Paul, Director of Communication at General Administration Office and Francis Justin, employee of ministry of finance, were also at the court in connection with the allegations of involvement in the network of forgery to steal millions of dollars from the bank.
Controller of accounts in the Office of the President and Executive Director at the office of the Secretary-General for Decentralization as well as Anyang Mijok, cashier of the central bank, are equally in the ring.
The scandalous project surfaced and became a public knowledge when in 2015 security operatives suspected and arrested John Agou, a security officer attached to the office of the president in possession of the Republican seals and headed papers of the office of the president.
After Agou was subjected to security investigative approaches including torture as a way to obtain information needed from him to expose the network, he revealed a number of senior government officials at the presidency, justice ministry, finance and the central bank who were involved either directly or indirectly in a network of the scandal, with him as the lead coordinator.
Agou was apprehended requesting payment of 1 million United States dollars from the Central Bank, impersonating as President Kiir giving out directives to the bank for payment.
Security operatives found hundreds of similar documents used to receive money in the name of the president from Central Bank without his knowledge, prompting him to suspend officials implicated in the matter.
The arrest and suspension of Yel Luol and Mayen Wol from the work at the presidency was not the first time. They were suspended in 2012 when money disappeared at the Presidency in alleged burglary.
Eyewitnesses at the presidency and investigators described ‘as “outrageous” allegation that the money was stolen through “mouse hole’ in the wall of the office where money went missing. The development irritated the president and led him to issue a televised order suspending Mayen Wol Jong, Yel Luol and Nhomot Agoth.
The president later quietly reinstated Luol and Wol and dismissed Nhomot Agoth without official report about what transpired and what the committee had recommended his office to do.
Appearing before the court on Monday, a government lawyer unveiled the case before the court against Yel Luol Kur, chief executive director and Mayan Wol Jong, chief administrator in the office of the president with 14 other colleagues involved in the theft.
A presiding judge over the matter announced that the first part of the case has been heard and the sitting to hear from the accused will resume on Tuesday, 23 February, 2016.
The purpose of pushing the hearing of the accused to another day, according to the judge, is to allow the accused to reach out to their defence lawyers to prepare for details about the case before another hearing takes place.
(ST)