Malong official rubbishes corruption allegations against rebel leader

JUBA — A South Sudanese opposition official allied to the country’s former army chief General Paul Malong Awan Anei has denied allegations of corruption labeled against the country’s holdout opposition leader saying Malong is rich in his own way.

In recent days, some activists have talked of system corruption when Malong was a senior military official of the regime in Juba alleging that he had build wealth in an illegal manner before fleeing to Kenya to form rebel against Kiir.

In response, the South Sudan United Front/Army’s country representative to neighboring Uganda Deng Chapath said Malong was reach and accused unnamed individuals of making Malong a subject of irresponsible utterances at tea places in Juba.

“It has become monotonous as some people whenever they hear the name of General Paul Malong, they begin associating him with corruption. They said that Malong corrupted the system to build for himself big houses and to put a lot of money on his bank account,” he said.

“In response to these fake allegations labeled against General Malong, I would like to bring the people who make these fake allegations every time at tea places to their senses that not every person who has resources is corrupted nor the person who has no resources is not corrupted,” he added

He further said that the opposition leader is a rich man in his own way and asserted that not any rich person in South Sudan should be considered as a corrupt person.

“As many of us know General Paul Malong is hard working man. This is known even by the president before he became the president of South Sudan. Malong acquired his wealth before independence because he was the business man. Before he joined the SPLM/A, he was doing business which comprised of farming and other activities. It is through this business that is when he acquired wealth, which he has now,” he said.

“In addition, he continued doing business even after he joined the SPLM/A. Therefore, implies that the present wealth which General Malong has is not the wealth recently acquired by General Malong,” he added.

“In general, it something unclear why some useless youth and other elders who are not informed keep on attacking General Malong that he is corrupted yet the fact that he has been a business man throughout his life is not dispute even the people who come from Mading Aweil know the fact that General Malong acquired his present wealth through business.”