PPC rejects justice ministry order declaring controversial fees ‘null and void’

JUBA – The Political Parties Council (PPC) has affirmed that the controversial registration fee of $50,000 for political parties will remain unchanged, despite being challenged by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Ruben Madol.

Earlier this week, Justice Madol criticized the PPC for setting the registration fee without following the proper legal procedures. This criticism followed a lawsuit by 14 political parties, represented by advocate Gabriel Kuot, who petitioned Madol to nullify the fees, deeming them exorbitant.

Responding to the political parties’ complaints, Madol issued a statement declaring the fee null and void, arguing it was not in line with the legal framework, especially since the relevant acts had not been amended.

“The decision in question is null and void as it was based on regulations under amendment and not signed into regulations as required under Section 18(e) of the Political Parties Act 2012 as amended,” Justice Madol stated. According to him, the decision was based on the PPC’s 2015 regulations, which do not comply with the law.

In a swift response, the Chairperson of the PPC, James Akol Zakayo, informed journalists that the PPC had not yet received any official communication from the Ministry of Justice.

“But if there are misunderstandings between the two institutions – it can be addressed between the two institutions. We shall seek an opportunity to realign from that matter,” Zakayo said.

He clarified that the $50,000 registration fee was not a unilateral decision but a regulation passed by the council on January 23, 2024.

“We have the regulation which was adopted on the 23rd of January and that is the base on which we announced the registration,” Zakayo noted. “So, we have the amended regulation 2024. Whoever told you that we don’t have the regulation is wrong – you need to crosscheck your information,” he added.

Zakayo disclosed that while the council will meet with the Ministry of Justice to address the issue, he insisted that the prescribed registration fee would not change.

“We shall sit with the Ministry of Justice and try to figure out whether there was a misunderstanding and maybe we shall realign with the Ministry of Justice. But we are not going to change what is in the regulation,” Zakayo emphasized.

“The Ministry of Justice should have advised us; he is an advisor to the government, not to the private sector. So, if there is something of this kind, we shall sit down and maybe find a solution to it,” he concluded.