Greater Bor community chiefs urge President Kiir to pardon businessman John Agou

March 3, 2018 (JUBA) – Eight local chiefs representing the different communities in South Sudan’s Greater Bor region have appealed to President Salva Kiir to forgive and pardon jailed businessman John Agou Wuoi on the basis of his deteriorating health.

In a 5 February 2018 letter extended to Sudan Tribune, the chiefs, led by paramount chief, Gideon Alier Aluong said Agou, whose “health is declining and deteriorating because of chronic illnesses” deserves to be pardoned like some of the individuals who were equally jailed with him, but were pardoned.

“We have also learnt that John Agou Wuoi is very sick and he has been referred abroad for further specialized treatment and management that are not possible within the prison environment or even in South Sudan. The health of our son John Agou Wuoi is declining and deteriorating as a result of these illnesses”, partly reads the letter, addressed to President Kiir.

Agou is one of the 16 individuals who were accused of corruption in the office of the President in 2015. He was arrested on 29 May 2015 with four Kenyan citizens who were employees of his company, Click Technologies Limited.

The decision to pardon all the individuals, including the four Kenyan citizens and all the South Sudanese who had been jailed with them, was agreed following bilateral talks between Kiir and his Kenyan counterpart, Uhuru Kenyatta when the latter took oath of office on November 2017.

In their letter, channeled to the president through information minister, Michael Makuei Lueth, the chiefs also appealed to President Kiir to pardon Agou so that he can take care of his family.

“In addition, John Agou Wuoi has a young family that he needs to raise and provide for as a husband and a father. It is for this reason that we are appealing to Your Excellency to forgive and pardon our son John Agou Wuoi for mistakes he may have done and show him kindness and mercy just like you have done with many people who have benefited from Your Excellency’s kind and forgiving heart”, the letter further states.

They wondered why Agou did not benefit from the presidential pardon, yet those jailed with him were accused of the same crime.

“As you may be aware Your Excellency, John Agou Wuoi who hails from Makuach County in Jonglei State was one of the individuals jailed because of corruption of case at your office. He was jointly jailed with some senior officials in the Office of the President – who we have since learnt – were pardoned by Your Excellency through a Presidential Order on 6th December 2017. However, John Agou Wuoi was not included in this Presidential Pardon. He was left out for reasons that are yet to be known even though all of them were equally accused of having committed the same crime”, they wrote.

The community chief urged Kiir to forgive and pardon Agou in line with his powers to grant pardon or remit prison sentences as enshrined in Article 101 (H) of the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan by remitting the prison sentence imposed on him by court in order to allow him undergo medical treatment.”

A senior member of the Greater Bor community, who spoke to Sudan Tribune on the condition of anonymity, said people were generally unhappy over the decision which saw Agou excluded from the list of those pardoned by the president over the same crime.

“We are not happy at all with this decision. It is discrimination against John Agou simply because he is from Bor area”, said the source, adding, “People from Bor do not want to speak out publicly about this issue because it risks jeopardizing efforts being exerted by its leaders and senior members like Kuol Manyang Juuk and Michael Makuei Lueth to convince the President to pardon John Agou just like he did with others who were jointly accused with John Agou”.

He, described Kiir as “good person known for being forgiving and kind”, but blamed “some individuals” of allegedly misleading the South Sudan leader to leave Agou out from the list of those he opted to pardon, including the four Kenyan nationals.

Another source, who preferred not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter, claimed those who advised Kiir to leave out Agou from the presidential pardon are “not true supporters of Kiir”.

“They want to create problems for the president by portraying him as someone who only care about people from his home area or people related to him by blood and that is why he pardoned Yel Luol Koor and other people and left John Agou in prison”, he stated.

He urged such individuals to encourage President Kiir to pardon Agou on health and humanitarian grounds, just like he did to Koor.

(ST)