Top South Sudan officials illegally selling government lands – minister

JUBA – Some unnamed South Sudanese officials have been involved in sale of government lands to businesses and private individuals, Deputy Justice Minister, Joseph Malek claimed.

Speaking during opening of validation workshop on procurement organized in Juba on Tuesday, Malek said blame land saga on lack of implementation of procurement act.

“The Lack of implementation of procurement act and regulation leaves government institutions with a lot of malpractice and mismanage for example, many government land have been sold to individuals,” Malek said.

Senior justice claimed that malpractice and mismanagement of government assets and property is becoming a major security threat to the country.

“These days the malpractice and mismanagement of government assets and property is becoming a threat to the country, procurement regulation must be apply in all government institutions,” he said.

In June 2012, President Salva Kiir accused some officials for having “stolen” an estimated $4 billion of public money.

Critics have accused the government of President Salva Kiir doing little to clamp down on widespread corruption that has hampered efforts to build the war-torn state from scratch and jumpstart development.

75 current and former officials dated May 3, Kiir offered amnesty for officials and individuals with government ties who returned the money.

Reliable figures are hard to come by in South Sudan, but the figure could amount to around one third of the estimated total oil receipts allotted to the South between the 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war and independence last year

Firas Raad, World Bank Country Manager said the Bank will work closely with government to reform procurement system in the country

“We are so committed to making sure the procurement system continuously reform and advance, they promote fiscal discipline fiscal transparency, integrity but also indirectly they promote economic growth, job creation and poverty alleviation,” Raad said.

“We also need a system that can promote citizens confident in government effectiveness, and this is very important for the government and institutions in the country to pay attention to procurement.”