Editor-in-chief of Juba Monitor arrested for allegedly defying court orders

JUBA – South Sudan police on Wednesday morning arrested the editor in chief of the local newspaper Juba Monitor after allegedly defying court orders that directed the newspaper administration to cease publication.

Last week, dispute emerged between the newspaper and the family of the founder and largest shareholder of the newspaper triggering court battle that resulted in the temporal closure of the newspaper.

Presiding judge at Kator Court, Justice Mujahid Abdalla Akol, said in his judicial ruling that the Juba Monitor and GAMSCO will stay closed until the court passes the final ruling on the case between heirs of the late Alfred Taban Logune & Others versus GAMSCO shareholders.

The newspaper has allegedly continued to be active in defiant of court orders.

Lazarus Legu, the newspaper’s legal adviser, said, according to Radio Tamazuj, that Anna Nimiriano was arrested by police on Tuesday afternoon and was being held at Juba Main Prison.

“The newspaper was operating normally after the court order because we had filed an appeal against the court order that was issued on 12 April. Also, the newspaper was still operating despite the court order because the management was in the process to clear some commitments,” he explained.

According to the lawyer, the Juba Monitor newspaper has not appeared on the streets of South Sudan’s capital Juba today.

Lazarus said they have lodged an appeal against the court order.

The lawyer explained that the suspension of Juba Monitor newspaper came after the family who is the heir to the properties of late Alfred Taban had a disagreement with the company over the sharing of resources.

Lazarus pointed out that the family of late Alfred Taban had filed a lawsuit against the management of the Grand Media Africa Company.

“The family of late Alfred went to court and asked the court to intervene claiming that the newspaper was being mismanaged. What the family of late Alfred Taban does not know is that the stakeholders who established the company are 10 in number. Late Alfred’s share in the company is 13% only,” Lazarus said.

The family lawyer of the late Alfred Taban could not immediately be reached for comment.