South Sudan parliament directs executive to prosecute culprits
involved in dura corruption
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August 26, 2011 (JUBA) – The newly transformed national parliament for
the independent Republic of South Sudan has passed a resolution
directing the executive branch of the government to seriously
investigate and prosecute any individual that has involved in the dura
corruption since 2008.
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South Sudanese members of parliament take the oath in the capital Juba
on August 6, 2011 (AFP)
Billions of US dollars worth of contracts were signed by the ministry
of finance with some fake companies to deliver the grain to the ten
states as government’s response to the hunger in the region.
The dura was supposed to be sold to the hungry population at a low
price and the money remitted to the ministry of finance.
However, many individuals secured the contracts with fake papers
claiming to be companies and ended up getting away with hundreds of
millions of dollars without any grain delivered to the states.
The dura saga has earned the government a bad reputation in the eyes
of the international community.
On Thursday the national legislative assembly summoned the current
minister of finance, David Deng Athorbei, as well as the former
minister of finance, Kuol Athian, under whose tenure the contracts
were signed to explain how the situation came about.
Kuol Athian defended himself before the parliament, saying the
companies he contracted were legally registered by the former ministry
of legal affairs and constitutional development, now ministry of
Justice, under the leadership of the former minister Michael Makuei
Lueth.
Athian further explained to the parliament that he paid the companies
who brought with them certificates of acknowledgement from the states
that they had actually delivered the dura to the states in accordance
with the contracts signed.
He said in the certificates the states officials including their
governors, ministers of finance and the store keepers all signed,
testifying that the dura reached them. He however lamented that the
amount of money purportedly collected from the sale of the dura was
never remitted to the ministry of finance.
However, other officials and the ordinary people on the ground in the
states refuted the claims, saying most of the dura never reached to
the states or the intended destinations.
The newly formed Council of States is now charged to summon and
investigate the governors of the ten states on the malpractice.
The MPs who were visibly angered by what they said was one of the
worst corrupt incidences in the previous semi autonomous government
said those who would be found responsible must be brought to books.
(ST)
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