Report implicates Western Equatoria’s suspended minister in land scandal

JUBA – Suspended South Sudan’s Western Equatoria state Minister of Housing, Land, and Public Utilities, Simon Peter Sarawasi has been implicated in a land sale scandal, latest report on land scandal said.

On May 12, Governor of Western Equatoria state, Governor Alfred Futuyo suspended the Minister of Housing, Land, and Public Utilities, Simon Peter Sarawasi over a land scandal.

Minister Simon Peter was allegedly accused of selling plots and lands in Yambio Municipality without legal procedures.

He allegedly sold properties belonging to the state ministry of housing, Land and Public Utilities and other equipment such as Electrical.

A latest report recently released by Engineer Isaac Okwara Alphonse, Secretary of Yambio County Land Authority accused the suspended minister of selling several plots including Yabongo Secondary School and Electrical Equipment to some government officials and local traders.

“Simon Peter sold the land that belongs to Nabima Primary school to the Civil Society Organization for an unknown number of amounts,” the report said.

It said the suspended minister is responsible for selling all electrical equipment belonging to the ministry of housing and land in the state.

“He directed Eng. Mohammed Ahmed sold two commercial plots to his lordship, bishop of Evangelical Lutheran Church of South Sudan and Sudan, Bishop Peter Anibati Abia,” it alleged.

It claimed the suspended minister sold two commercial plots of land to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of South Sudan and Sudan when he was stuck in the Egyptian capital city, Cairo.

It said the suspended minister has also sold a number of commercial plots to Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Peter Mayen and Deputy Mayor of Yambio municipality, Patrick Mukanga.

“When bishop started his process of the land lease, the document was detained in the office of Director General for Land and Public up to date when he was stuck in Cairo.”

“He sold a commercial land in Yabongo Secondary School area to Petit Baba, the plot number 25 Block G in an area where the Vice President for Service Cluster (Hussein Abdelbagi Akol) ordered for demolition.”

Efforts to reach suspended Minister of Housing in Western Equatoria State Minister Peter Simon for comments were unsuccessful.