My suspension politically motivated, says finance minister
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June 25, 2013 (JUBA) – The embattled South Sudan finance minister,
recently suspended by President Salva Kiir over a corruption-related
case, insists the decision was "politically" motivated.
JPEG - 32.6 kb
FILE - South Sudan’s Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Kosti
Manibe Ngai, at a briefing for the news media on April 20, 2013 in
Washington, D.C. (IMF Photo/Cliff Owen)
Kiir, in a decree issued Tuesday last week, relieved Kosti Manibe and
his cabinet affairs counterpart, Deng Alor of their cabinet roles,
lifting their immunities so they can be investigated over the matter.
The president implicated the two senior ministers for a shady request
and transfer, respectively, of over 7 million US dollars to a company
known as Daffy Investment Ltd.
The two ministers transferred the money to the private company without
knowledge or authorization from the president or the cabinet for
alleged purchase of anti-fire safes on behalf of the government.
But Manibe, in an interview with the UN sponsored Miraya FM on Monday,
denied any wrongdoing in the alleged corruption case, saying the whole
thing was “political”.
“This is a politically instigated motive to drag my name into it, and
when the investigations have been undertaken fully, I believe it will
clear me from all these allegations”, said the finance minister.
Manibe accused some unnamed officials within the current government of
allegedly frustrating his work at the ministry, less than two years
since he was elevated to the helm.
“All I can say is that there is general feeling amongst some circles
who have been getting access to lose money in the past, that the doors
to these lose money have been closed and shut by me”, he told the UN
sponsored radio.
The minister, speaking for the first time since the suspension was
announced, questioned the motive behind decree, given that the country
currently faces turbulent economic times.
In a subsequent order, however, Kiir formed an investigation committee
headed by the anti-corruption chairperson, John Gatwech Lul, to
investigate the two ministers and report the findings to the president
within sixty days.
The terms of reference for the investigation will include establishing
who authorized the transfer of the money and whether there was a
resolution from the cabinet approving the alleged purchase of
anti-fire safes.
The five-member committee will also investigate whether there was a
contract approved and signed by the government and whether such
alleged anti-fire safes were brought into the country as well as the
whereabouts of the money, among others.
The president’s order also calls for criminal prosecution of the two
ministers should the outcome of the investigation find that the
transfer of money was an act of theft.
The order, which came as a surprise, is widely regarded as the biggest
ever scandal in the country’s post-secession era, after president
Kiir’s letter to 75 senior current and former officials in his
government, suspected of stealing a disputed figure of $4 billion US
dollars over a six-year period.
It was not clear whether the two national ministers are among the list
of the undisclosed 75 suspected officials.
On the other hand, the finance and economic planning ministry said
that the suspension of its minister has not affected the daily
business of the ministry, dispelling speculation that salaries for
employees could be delayed.
Acting Minister, Marial Awou, said in a statement on Monday that
suspension of the minister did not anyway affected the running and
carrying out of routine activities and duties of the ministry but that
delay in the payment of employees was due to financial difficulties
the institution faces after the oil closure .
“There is continuity in carrying out normal processes and procedures
as part of the routine activities of the ministry. The delay in the
payment of salaries for employees is due to the fact that the ministry
has had financial difficulties since closure of the oil in early 2012.
But we will now pay two month salaries”, said Awou.
He thanked the family members of the employees affected for their
perseverance and understanding.
2013-2014 BUDGET
In other development, minister Awou withdrew the realignment
supplementary budget from the National Legislative Assembly, saying
the move was necessitated by the need to allow the house to prioritise
the debate of the 2013-2014 budgets, which amount to 17 billion South
Sudanese pounds.
The focus of the draft budget, according to officials at the planning
directorate in the ministry of finance, is to facilitate accelerate
and sustain economic growth that translates into stable jobs, a
redistribution of income and opportunities in favour of the poor,
access to basic services and a general improvement in the standards of
living
A ministry source told Sudan Tribune: “We have made substantial
allocations towards the health, education, water and sanitation and
local government sectors. Other interventions have been targeted
towards facilitating sustained growth in the agriculture, tourism,
infrastructure development and manufacturing sectors. In order to
guarantee the execution of pragrammes and activities, the President
has directed the Treasury to ensure that programme implementation
reports are submitted by Ministries, states and other Spending
Agencies prior to receiving subsequent funding."
The source, with a close link with the office of the president, said
the budget must reflect the will and the commitment of the ruling
Sudan People’s liberation Movement (SPLM) to promoting inclusive
growth and social justice for all.
“We do not want to fail our president. We want to him [to] succeed by
ensuring that this time the budget is spent wisely. The ministry of
finance will from henceforth ensure that government runs an activity
based budget and had continued financing projects and programmes
judiciously. We will make sure that government work tirelessly and
with greater urgency to ensure that all priority sectors of the
economy flourish within the projected benchmarks", he explained.
CENTRAL BANK DENIES RUNNING OUT CASH
Meanwhile a senior official at the Central Bank has been forced to
dismiss claims that the institution had run out of cash to fund
regular requirements of the commercial banks to facilitate importing
goods and services.
“It is not true that the bank has run out of cash to support regular
requirements of the commercial banks. Our foreign reserves currently
stand at significant amount. The investment pledges in various sectors
of the economy in the first quarter of 2013 is also encouraging. It is
therefore, irresponsible to engage in extreme talk amidst such a
robust national economic performance”, an official at the bank told
Sudan Tribune on Monday at the National Legislative Assembly.
(ST)
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