S. Sudan court grants bail to four former presidential aides
August 24, 2017 (JUBA) – The Supreme Court in South Sudan has granted bail to four ex-presidential aides, initially sentenced to life imprisonment for causing financial losses at the president’s office.
Also granted bail was Chaat Paul Nul, the former director general of communications and public relations in the office of the president and Anna Kalisto Ladu, a former cashier in the president’s office.
The court is also reviewing appeals of other members as presented by the lawyers to see possibilities of releasing 12 other remaining individuals, who include eight South Sudanese and four Kenyans nationals.
Neither the four formerly accused individuals, their family members nor their lawyers made statements on relation to the court’s decision.
In April, the Court of Appeal said it was reviewing the case against the 16 accused persons convicted to life imprisonment for alleged involvement in corruption in the president office, after quashing the case and ordering that the accused persons be re-tried in the court.
The court, in an 80-page ruling, also directed that the accused persons remain at Juba Central Prison during re-trial directed by the ruling.
The 16 accused persons were arrested by the General Intelligence Bureau on different dates starting with John Agou and his employees from Click Technologies Ltd premises on 29 May 2015. Two senior presidential aides, who included Wol and Koor were immediately suspended and placed under investigation.
The 16 were accused of alleged involvement in forgery, fraud, conspiracy to defraud the government, money laundering and terrorism financing among many other charges, which, according to the prosecution, resulted in the loss of $14 million and SSP 30 million.
They were detained, investigated for over a year before being charged in court on 22 February 2016, tried for four months, sentenced and convicted to life imprisonment on 13 June 2016.
On 29, March 2015, the four Kenyans working in South Sudan were arrested for alleged involvement in corruption at South Sudan’s presidency, tried without lawyers and sentenced to 72 years in jail. The four, who worked at Click Technologies Ltd, included Boniface Chuma, Ravi Ghaghda, Antony Keya and Anthony Mwadime.
(ST)