South Sudan: Anti-Corruption Commission Issues Assets Declaration Forms in Jonglei

Bor — The South Sudan Anti-Corruption Commission (SSACC) has released forms in Jonglei state, asking government officials to declare their assets within the next two weeks.

This is the South Sudan government's latest attempt to stem corruption, which is rife in seven month old country. In over five years the SSACC has failed to refer an single prosecution for investigation and no official has been prosecuted by the courts.

Billions of dollars of government money has gone missing since South Sudan gained self-rule in 2005 as part of a peace deal the same year that led to South Sudan's independence in July 2011.

The latest measure against corruption was announced last week when South Sudan's Vice President Riek Machar was the first official to declare his net wealth and assets to the SSACC. Machar's wealth has not been made public.

Jonglei State's chairperson of the anti-corruption commission, Daniel Deng Kut, announced the move on Friday when he presented the declaration forms to MPs at the state's Council of Ministers.

Elected officials and senior civil servants in salary grades of 1-5 across South Sudan are being asked to make their wealth known by the end of this month, according to Kut.

"The political post holders - that is the governor, the ministers, the parliamentarians, including the speaker, and the civil servants from grade one to grade five will have to fill their forms to declare their wealth", Kut said.

It is hoped that the latest initiative will minimise financial fraud, mismanagement, corruption, and to decrease suspicion against state officials. Kut asked the stakeholders to respond promptly.

Elected officials and civil servants who do not declare there wealth will have their pay withheld, he said.

"If you don't declare your wealth, or you did not declare it, you may not be paid next, because this need to be known what you have and it is an order. Somebody who refuses to fill the form will also be suspected that he has something that he does not want to declare", he said.

However, this is not the first time South Sudan Anti-Corruption Commission has asked for assets to be declared. The same forms were provided to officials in September 2010 but few were returned.

Asked whether the ministers and senior government servants are ready to make their wealth known by public, minister of local government, Diing Akol Diing, who is also the acting minister for cabinet affairs, said the post constitutional holders will respond as it is now required by the law.

Many top officials in South Sudan have been accused of corruption. There is an alleged list of 13 top officials given to South Sudan's President Salva Kiir by the Obama administration listing those with abnormally large amounts of cash held in foreign bank accounts.

The list has not been made public despite MPs attempting to make Kiir release it in August when they initially refused to endorse South Sudan's first independent cabinet. However, they eventually backed down and approved it despite their reservations.

On Thursday, 9, the former Minister of Finance, Arthur Akuein Chol, challenged the speaker of South Sudan's parliament to release the list, saying that he knew who was on it.

Chol also asked the Secretary General of South Sudan's ruling party - the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, (SPLM) - Pagam Amum to account for USD $30 million he claimed was transferred to his account while he was in office.

Amum denies any wrong doing and has vowed to take Chol to court over the issue.