South Sudan vows to jail corrupt officials

JUBA – South Sudan’s head of Economic Cluster Sub-Committee on non-oil revenues and Minister of Animal Resources and Fisheries, Onyoti Adigo said the cluster would not spare anyone found guilty of any corrupt practice or sabotaging the country’s economy.

Adigo who spoke after his meeting with the newly appointed Minister of Finance and Economics, Agak Achuil Lual on Thursday in Juba took another swipe at public officials who steal money from government coffers.

“All of us agreed jointly that there is a need to deal with these people who are making a mess in the collection of revenue because our intention is to make a reform in economy sector and reforms in revenue collection so that we are able to increase our revenues for the benefit of the people of South Sudan,”  Adigo told station-Owned Television, SSBC on Thursday.

He said that the cluster is working for reforms in the economic sector as well as monitoring the collection and use of non-oil revenue.

“The meeting is about briefing the new minister of finance and on what action should be taken against people who have committed some atrocities in the areas of revenue collection and those hindering this work and that is why we are serious about this,” he said.

 In July 2020, the Economic Cluster subcommittee conducted investigations on all revenue collection points to assess the amount being collected and how revenues are remitted into the public account.

In its preliminary findings, the committee stated that import taxes among others are still being channeled into private bank accounts.

It called for a thorough investigation into non-oil revenue theft that is believed to be diverted from the designated official account.

Several customs service officers have also accused their boss of malpractices, resulting in a low-income generation.

The non-oil revenues are by law wired into the account of the National Revenue Authority.

Established in 2018, the National Revenue Authority is mandated to assess, collect, administrate and enforce laws relating to taxation and revenues.

It is meant to reduce dependency on oil revenues, strengthen the non-oil revenue sector and strengthen expenditure control required to achieve short-term fiscal austerity objectives.