Speaking during proceedings before the Special Court in Juba, Kang challenged the authenticity of messages extracted from his device, arguing that they were inserted after his arrest and should not be considered credible evidence.
“The National Security Service was the one that unlocked my personal phone after forcefully obtaining my password from me. They then inserted fabricated messages into my phone, and afterwards, they brought in the South African expert to complete their weak and staged fabrication,” Chol said.
Chol explained that the phone presented by the prosecution’s digital forensic expert had been in the custody of security authorities for an extended period, raising concerns about the integrity of the data it contained.
“All the messages that appeared on my phone were fabricated by an expert working under the National Security Service. They sequentially exchanged the messages between our phones, or they created those messages on paper like what we have seen in the report,” he said.
Chol dismissed allegations linking him to the transfer of 30,000 and 1,500 U.S. dollars to support violence in Nasir County, describing the claims as politically motivated and aimed at damaging his reputation.
Lead investigator Maj. Gen. Basilio Thomas Wani previously alleged that Kang sent a total of $30,000 to mobilize youth across 15 payams, in addition to the disputed $1,500 allegedly intended for ritual purposes.
Investigators also alleged that Kang coordinated several cross-border money transfers, including 123,000 Kenyan shillings via M-Pesa to Gatwech Liem, an accused person still at large, and 625,000 Ethiopian birr to SPLA-IO officer Hokdor Chuol.
According to prosecutors, Kang acted as a financier and liaison between individuals in Juba and commanders of the White Army in Nasir and Ulang counties.
“I didn’t send any sum of money, be it the alleged 30,000 U.S. dollars or 1,500 U.S. dollars, to Nasir’s town, and everything stated in the prosecution case is merely a fabricated allegation with no basic truth,” he said.
Chol alleged that their detention and prosecution were intended to undermine the overall implementation of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement and impede progress on its remaining provisions.
The court adjourned to Wednesday, June 3, 2026, for judges to question Puot Kang Chol.
Machar, a key opposition figure and former rebel leader, is among eight accused in the case, which has drawn significant political and public attention.
The accused include Riek Machar Teny, 73; Puot Kang Chuol, 40; Mam Pal Dhuor, 37; Gatwech Lam Puoch, 66; Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, 53; Camilo Gatmai Kel, 47; Mading Yak Riek, 45; and Dominic Gatgok Riek, 27.
Prosecutors allege that forces of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO), allied with the White Army militia, killed 257 South Sudan People’s Defence Forces soldiers, including commander David Majur Dak, and destroyed or seized military equipment worth about $58 million in an attack on a garrison in Nasir in March 2025.
