Maj. Gen. Dr. Akol Ayii shouldn't be falsely implicated in Corruption and Nepotism; a response to Eye Radio

By Deng Gatpan Wan

On 22nd July, 2020, the sole anti government radio station known as Eye Radio, broadcast a fabricated audio report that implicates the Director of South Sudan Custom Service in financial corruption and nepotism. The eye radio reporter broadcast the report inform of audio which he claims to have been recorded from disgruntled custom officers.  In that fake audio report, the unnamed officers accused the respected Director General of Custom Services of funds' embezzlement, nepotism, privatization of 18 vehicles and many other nonsense. In the same audio report, the unidentified officers accused the Director General Maj. Gen. Akol Ayii of granting tax exemption to some traders. They also accused Dr. Akol Ayii of transferring 29 custom service officers to police headquarters in Buluk. 

Before I response to all these baseless accusations levelled against the prominent reformer and the most successful Director General of South Sudan Custom Services, I would like to bring into the light that the audio report was a conspiracy from the administration of Eye Radio together with the victims of corruption eradication inform of unidentified officers, against Maj. Gen. Dr Akol Ayii. To prove this, those who spoke in the audio weren't officers of South Sudan Custom Services but they are pure civilians whose voices were recorded by Eye Radio's journalist with an intention of tarnishing the good image of Dr. Akol Ayii and this explains why the Eye Radio Administration preferred to withhold the real names of the officers. A trained custom officer will never agree to speak to public media because he or she is a non politician. Let's accept the reality that the audio report was just a project from the enemies of progress particularly the Eye Radio and some politicians who are unhappy with the reform that is taking place in South Sudan Custom Services. It is a known fact there are many elements who are negatively affected by the complete eradication of corruption in the custom services. These few elements view Maj. Gen. Dr Akol Ayii Madut as a blockage to their corruption agenda. And that is why they are campaigning day and night to make sure that the true reformer Gen. Dr. Akol Ayii is removed and replaced with a real corrupt crook who will open the door very wide for corruption.

To begin with the allegation of funds' diversion to the private account or financial corruption. First of all, South Sudan Custom Services has one single account to which all the revenues are remitted. This bank account is under the control of the South Sudan Revenue Authority. Custom  Services has no control over it. The Revenue authority has assigned many officials at the various custom stations to take charge of all financial transactions. Once the revenues are remitted into this account, it is a responsibility of the ministry of finance and revenue authority to take care of remitted money. The director general of South Sudan Services Maj Gen. Dr. Akol Ayii Madut has no link with either the collected revenues from various custom stations or with the financial transactions. 

Coming to the allegation of nepotism. The general public needs to be informed that Maj. Gen. Dr Akol Ayii has neither employed nor promoted his relatives in the custom services. This allegation of nepotism in the South Sudan Custom Services is a mere propaganda designed by the enemies of reforms and progress in order to mislead the public in a broad daylight. If this allegation of nepotism is true, let Gen Akol's critics who spoke on Eye Radio give an example of the relative being employed by Akol in the custom services..

The allegation of the privatization of 18 vehicles by Gen. Dr Akol Ayii is indeed a naked lie concocted by his enemies in order to tarnish his image in the public media.  All the vehicles for South Sudan Custom Services are there and no single vehicle has been privatized.  The decision taken by the director general of South Sudan Custom Services Gen. Akol to transfer 29 officers to the police headquarters in Buluk, is something normal in any institution and it cannot be subjected to discussion according to the military regulations.  There is nothing wrong with that. Transfering a soldier from department to department is a normal practice in any armed institution. 

In conclusion, I am appealing to anyone who might have listened to the Eye Radio on date 22nd July 2020, to immediately disregard whatever was aired out against our God Chosen reformer Maj. Gen. Dr. Akol Ayii. The public should take into the consideration that the fake audio report was designed by the desperate politicians in collaboration with the Eye Radio in order to tarnish the good image of Gen. Akol. In addition, I am urging the administration of Eye Radio to prepare the list of the officrs who spoke to the journalist so that they may present them as an evidence before the court of law. Airing out charges against an individual or institution from anonymous source amounts to defamation according to the South Sudan Media Act. 

The author is a Senior Political Analyst. He can be reached via Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.