By Ngor Arol Garang
November 2, 2009 (MALAKAL) — The Semi autonomous government of Southern Sudan acknowledged missing of some $200 million with no clear records showing how this money has been spent.
- An internally displaced woman carrying her ration of food from the World Food Programme in the southern Sudanese town of Pibor March 22, 209 (photo Mckulka UNMIS)
This comes at a sensitive time the war ravaged region required food to feed thousands affected by tribal conflicts, poor harvest due to short rainfall in the region, hence prompted UN to appeal for food aid and warning that millions of people may face severe food shortage following poor rains.
Following a series of interviews with members of the press, David Deng Athorbei, minister of finance and economic planning Monday, said has been trying since taking office to follow the missing national fund allegedly located for purchase and deliveries of grains but could not get any clear information of how it has been spent.
The list of companies alleged to have been contracted by the ministry — under the period of Kuol Athian Mawien, former minister of finance and economic planning — to buy and deliver grains to various states in the region is nowhere found in the records, he said adding this must have been either organized stealing or lack of experience from the concerned ministry’s staff.
The minister said ministerial committee had found out the former minister, Kuol Athian Mawien, issued hundred of grain contracts to worth a total of $6.2 billion Sudanese pounds.
This discovery surprised everyone because former minister did not inform the southern Sudan assembly about the planned size of purchases, he said adding that region did not have enough budgets to honor the agreements.
He further said the same investigation committee revealed that $200 million to honor of the some contractors for grains and maize was released by the ministry.
However, the enigma is that finance officials at time of investigation could not find any single record indicating which contractors had received $200. It is not even clear how $200 million has been paid contractors in the absence of records.
"It is hard to understand how this much has been spent," he said adding that there are people who accepted having been paid but there no records showing deliveries of grains for which they received money.
"Also there are people, who have actually delivered these commodities and have not been paid," he said describing it as very complicated issue.
The whole annual budget for southern Sudan is only 3 billion pounds but the spending has exceeded.
On his part, former minister Kuol Athian denied vanishing of records saying if there are no records as being claimed, "where did the Committee get information that talks of the lost of$200 million," he posed. He also said surprised by voices denying having informed parliament while he had been directed by both executive and legislature to consider buying grains and deliver them to the affected regions from the reserve funds.
According to the former minister, he said was stock pilling grains to stop severe food shortage by selling these commodities at lower government price in the states.
He reiterated there are records within the ministry.
Earlier, Athorbei said findings of the ministerial committee would be passed to an oversight committee in the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly to professionally assess whether it was organized money laundering.
He also said that the investigation committee revealed that some states signed contracts before receiving grains because the majority says senior state officials were actually involved in the din. This was why lots of documents for ghost companies were signed before delivery, he said.
He further added that investigation teams were dispatched to some states to find that some of the grains were freely given out to relatives for political campaigns by some state officials, others found sold while good number were left to rot.
(ST)
Are Arabs evil simply because they are Arabs?
Tuesday 9 February 2010
By Zechariah Manyok Biar February 8, 2010 — The struggle for freedom is a complicated thing. Oppressed people who struggle for freedom can sometimes turn oppressors if they are not careful in the (...)
When did the SPLM turn separatist?
Monday 8 February 2010
By Charles B. Kisanga February 7, 2010 — In their desperate attempt to mislead Southern opinion, Salva Kiir and the clique around him are going around claiming that they are the champions of the (...)
Maintain Arman candidacy for Sudanese presidency
Sunday 7 February 2010
By Koang Tut Jing February 6, 2010 — The National Congress Party’s latest political maneuvering must not blindfolds the SPLM from looking outside the box. The endorsement of Kiir by the NCP (...)