Letter from President Kiir on Corruption: $4 Billion Dollars Stolen; Only $60 Million Recovered

President Kiir:

“An estimated $4 billion are unaccounted for, or simply put, stolen by current and former South Sudan officials as corrupt individuals with close ties to government officials. Most of these have been taken out of the country and deposit in foreign accounts. Some have purchased properties, often paid in cash”.

Letter from President Salva Kiir Mayardit to Corrupt South Sudanese Officials (Return The Stolen Funds)

The Republic of South Sudan

Office of the President

Re: Return of Stolen Funds (Full or Partial) to the GoRSS’s Bank Account in Kenya.

Date: May 3^rd, 2012.

From: Salva Kiir Mayaardit, the President of the Republic of South Sudan

To: Corrupt Government Officials, Current and Former

Dear:

Over the past several months, the government of the Republic of South Sudan (GoRSS) has taken a number of measures to put in place a mechanism to battle corruption and also to recover stolen government funds by current and former South Sudan officials.

The Anti-Corruption Commission has received more than 1,600 declarations of assets responses and is reviewing these documents. The government has also issued a number of Presidential Decrees to help prevent corruption.

The people of South Sudan and the International Community are alarmed by the level of corruption in South Sudan. In a number of speeches I gave over the past several years, including my speech during the celebration of our independence, I made it clear that corruption has no place in my government. Many people in South Sudan are suffering, and yet some government officials simply care about themselves. The credibility of our government is on the line.

An estimated $4 billion are unaccounted for or, simply put, stolen by current and former officials, as well as corrupt individuals with close ties to government officials. Most of these funds have been taken out of the country and deposited in foreign accounts. Some have purchased properties, often paid in cash.

In January 2012, I sent letters to eight governments seeking their assistance in the recovery of these stolen assets. We have received some positive responses. In February 2012, the government of the Republic of South Sudan opened a bank account in Kenya.

I am writing to encourage you to return these stolen funds (full or partial) to this account. If funds are returned, the government of the Republic of South Sudan will grant amnesty and will keep your name confidential. I and only one other official will have access to this information.

On the other hand, the government will continue its investigation of stolen funds and will hold accountable those officials and individuals who have stolen government funds and refused to return these funds. There is still time to take critical decisions of saving our country from the crisis we currently face and to help the millions who are in desperate need of assistance in healthcare and education.

We fought for freedom, justice and equality. Many of our friends died to achieve these objectives. Yet, once we got to power, we forgot what we fought for and began to enrich ourselves at the expense of our people.

Over the past six months, the Government of the Republic of South Sudan has taken a number of specific measures to tackle official corruption and institute mechanisms to help prevent corruption and strengthen transparency and accountability. Some of the measures that the Government of the Republic of South Sudan has taken thus far include the following:

Appointed a new Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission.

A letter was sent out last week to over seventy five former and current senior government officials in an effort to recover stolen funds.

Several Presidential Decrees were issued to strengthen transparency and tackle corruption.

An estimated 5,000 Declaration of Assets forms were returned by former and current government officials.

The Anti-Corruption Commission handed its final report on the Declaration of Assets to President Salva Kiir Mayardit in late May 2012.

The Government of the Republic of South Sudan has opened a bank account in Kenya so that stolen funds can be returned to this account.

The Anti-Corruption Commission has recovered an estimated $60 million from various sources from fraudulent transactions and misappropriation of funds by government institutions.

In January 2012, President Salva Kiir Mayardit sent eight letters to heads of states in Africa, the United States, Middle East, and Europe seeking assistance in the recovery of stolen funds by current and former South Sudanese officials.

Multiple investigations have been underway since January 2012 in an effort to recover stolen funds.

Sincerely,

Signature

Salva Kiir Mayardit

President of the Republic of South Sudan.

Anti Corruption.pdf

Letter from President Salva Kiir (1).pdf

Letter from President Salva kiir (2).pdf

Dear all,

Greetings in the name of the Republic of South Sudan,

There is time for everything; it’s time for Corrupt South Sudanese Officials (Former and Current) to return the public funds they have stolen.

President of the Republic of South Sudan, Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit, said this is the attached letter to South Sudan CORRUP OFFICILAS.

Please see attached a press release on anti-corruption measures taken by the RSS over the past six months and a letter sent by President Salva Kiir to more than 75 current and former senior government officials.

Let’s us congratulate President Salva Kiir for taking this great move asking corrupt officials to return the public funds they have stolen.

Once more, please open the attached letter from President Salva Kiir Mayardit to the CORRUPT OFFICILAS, updates will follow.

God bless the Republic of South Sudan

By Comrade Larco Lomayatdit

Kiir’s speech
Click on the live speech here

3 attachments — Download all attachments

Anti Corruption.PDF
664K View Download

Letter from President Salva Kiir (1).PDF
2661K View Download

Letter from President Salva kiir (2).PDF694K View Download

Anti Corruption.pdf

Letter from President Salva Kiir (1).pdf

Letter from President Salva kiir (2).pdf

President Kiir demands South Sudan officials to return the stolen money

June 2, 2012 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has written to over 75 former and current government officials directly asking them to account for misappropriated funds.


Salva Kiir speaks to the media at the Presidential Guest House in Juba, on May 26, 2011(Paul Banks UNMIS)

Kiir in a statement released on Friday 1 June, as part of anti-corruption measures taken by Juba government to end corruption and strengthen transparency and accountability in the newly independent and oil rich country.

Over $1 billion, according to the recent country’s Auditor General’s report, remained unaccounted for between 2005-06, in transfers of oil revenues from the Government of National Unity – the power and wealth sharing partnership in Khartoum created by 2005 peace deal – to the autonomous Government of South Sudan (GoSS) in Juba

“A letter was sent out last week to over seventy five former and current senior officials in an effort to recover stolen funds” reads a statement released by the Office of the President.

Most of the stolen funds, according to the President, have been taken out of the country and deposited into foreign bank accounts, adding that some of these funds have been used for purchasing properties, often “paid in cash”.

The statement disclosed that Kiir has asked in a written letter sent to eight heads of states seeking their assistance in recovering about $4 billion, which are still unaccounted for, or were simply “stolen,” by unnamed officials well as individuals with close ties to government officials.

These states where the stolen money is supposed to be transferred are in Africa, United States, Middle East and Europe, the statement says.

In his letter to the concerned officials, which is made public Friday by the South Sudanese presidency, Kiir said “The people of South Sudan and the international community are alarmed by the level of corruption in South Sudan.”

He pointed out he repeatedly emphasized that “corruption has no place in my government”. He also denounced their selfishness while the South Sudanese are suffering from poverty and lack of basic services and infrastructures.

“The credibility of our government is on the line,” the letter of 3 May stresses.

Last week, the Anti-Corruption Commission announced the recovery of $60 million stolen by different officials .

South Sudan which experiences difficult economic conditions since last January due to the shut down of oil production is in dire need of money. Juba managed to borrow money from some countries but no solution on the horizon as the resumption of oil production is not very soon.

“I am writing to encourage you to return these stolen funds (partial or full),” Kiir said, adding that, “If fund are returned, the Government of the Republic of South Sudan will grant amnesty and will keep your name confidential. I and only one other official will have access to this information.”

President Kiir also assured the public of his government’s commitment to probe those involved in corruption-related practices and the desire to hold them accountable through “critical decisions”. The stolen funds, he said, have deprived the country’s citizens of the much-needed heath care, education and other basic services.

Despite all these, President Kiir has often pledged to empower South Sudan Anti-Corruption Commission (SSACC) as part of its policy on zero tolerance for corruption. Currently SSACC is reportedly reviewing 1,600 forms submitted by government officials in response to the declaration of assets call.

Last week, The US Bureau of Democracy, Human Right and Labor accused South Sudan in its annual report of failing to “effectively implement the law, and officials continued to “engage in corrupt practices with impunity.”

The report despite public criticism of corruption by President Kiir, “it was a problem in all branches of government and was compounded by poor record keeping, lax accounting procedures, and the pending status of corrective legislation within the country,” the report says.

The statement of the South Sudanese presidency outlined a number of measures reportedly undertaken by his government in the past six months to combat corruption as well as strengthen transparency and accountability in the world’s newest nation. These include;

Appointed a new Chairperson of Anti-Corruption Commission

A letter was sent out to over twenty five (25) current and former senior government officials in an effort to recover stolen funds

Several presidential decrees were issued to strengthen transparency and tackle corruption

An estimated 500 Declaration of Assets forms were returned by both former and current officials

The Anti-Corruption Commission handed its final report on the Declaration of Assets to President Salva Kiir late May 2012

The Government of the Republic of South Sudan has opened a bank account in Kenya so that stolen funds can be returned to this account

The Anti-Corruption Commission has recovered an estimated $60m from various sources from fraudulent transactions and misappropriation of funds by government institutions

In January 2012, President Salva Kiir Mayardit sent eight letters to heads of states in Africa, the US, the Middle East and Europe seeking assistance in the recovery of funds stolen by the former and current South Sudan officials

Multiple investigations have been underway since January 2012 in an effort to recover stolen funds.

(ST)

http://www.sudantribune.com/President-Kiir-demands-S-Sudan,42785

I warned Salva Kiir to take action in 2007

By Gordon Buay

Ladies and gentlemen,Salva Kiir may pretend to be somebody free from corruption. But the actual fact is that out of $4 billion stolen, he might be responsible for about $500 million dollars. I warned this bearded man in 2007 to take action; otherwise, South Sudan would never have development. But he ignored my warnings and indulged himself in corruption. You can read the press release I issued on January, 8, 2007.Therefore, I am calling upon the SPLA army to stage a military coup to overthrow Salva Kiir so that investigation to the stolen $4 billion will be conducted under a new leader. South Sudanese will never know the truth as long as Salva Kiir is in power. Look at what he told the corrupt officials that if they return the money, they would not be prosecuted. This is because he is also implicated.You people know that two months ago, Arthur Akuein cleared himself in the media and said that he was ordered from “above” to give away $300 million in 2006. We can never get into the truth unless Salva Kiir is overthrown. The SPLA army should intervene to rescue the South.

The Celebration of Corruption and Underdevelopment in South Sudan

South Sudan Democratic Forum

Press Release

January, 8, 2007

Now that the South Sudanese masses are poised to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of the CPA, all people will expect the leadership of the SPLM, in particular Lt. Gen. Kiir Mayardit, to present to the public the major achievements the GOSS has achieved between Sept. 2005—Dec. 2006, since during that time the legislature passed two major budgets of $800m and $1.3 billion respectively. The total amount of budget for that period is $2.1 billion, almost more than half of the amount of money donors pledged in Oslo.

We hope the interim president will have the courage and the guts to tell the people what had been achieved so far in the following areas: How many trunk roads that have been built? How many schools that have been built or rehabilitated starting from primary up to secondary and higher education? How many primary health centers, district and regional hospitals have been built or rehabilitated? What improvement has been made in the area of clean water in the major capital of ten states and the rural areas? How many government houses have been built as well as resettlement villages for returnees and the internally displaced peoples? How many agricultural schemes have been set up by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to alleviate the problem of food insecurity and pave the way for self-sufficiency?

We hope the interim president will give a satisfactory account on the expenditure of $2.1 billion over the fifteen month period when he formed the government in September, 2005. Of course, we have no doubt that Lt. Gen. Kiir Mayardit is an honorable man who does not tolerate corruption as he had been fighting it in the past 22 years. His speech in Rumbek in 2004 confirmed his commitment to combating or rid the South off corruption and corrupt practices. In that conference, CDR Salva Kiir challenged Dr. Garang and had this to say about the corruption: “I would also like to say something about rampant corruption in the Movement. At the moment some members of the Movement have formed private companies, bought houses and have huge bank accounts in foreign countries. I wonder what kind of system we are going to establish in South Sudan considering ourselves indulged in this respect”.

With such a statement, we have no doubt in our minds that the interim president will stand by his own words and therefore would expect the committee that was set up by parliament to investigate corruption in the Ministry of Finance to come out with the recommendations that would be the beginning of weeding out corruption and malpractices, even if it means taking firm and stern measures that may affect some leaders who are abusing the system. Or to put it in the words of Dr. Samson Kwaje, former Spokesman of the SPLM/A and the current Minister of Information, on the East African News Paper of August, 2003 that “there are people in the SPLM/A who’re rotten; those who’ve committed gross human rights violations. In peacetime, they’ll be weeded out”.

Of course, we do not expect the GOSS or interim president to perform miracles overnight, but given the amount of money the South obtained within that short period, it is common sense that the president would like the public to hear how these funds have been disbursed, how much that has been spent and on what? And how much is left for the task ahead?
We hope the rampant corruption that he is struggling to combat has not eaten up a large proportion of these amount as we have been told that out of $2.1 billion, about a third of it is unaccounted for. This is now causing a great concern among members of South Sudan legislative Assembly and the public and they are wondering whether the budget of 2007 should be passed without hearing the report of the Minister of Finance about the expenditure of two years budget starting from September, 2005 to December, 2006—although we know that is far cry from legislators knowing the stubbornness of Minister of Finance, Mr. Arthur Akuein Chol, who refused to testify before the House Committee on corruption within his ministry, which was set up following the suspension of top five senior finance officers, including two under-secretaries.

If his refusal to testify before the parliamentary committee investigating corruption is true as we gathered from reliable sources, what steps will the president take when the report reaches him? Will he suspend the Minister of Finance for defying the parliamentary committee investigating corruption? Or will he dismiss him, arrest him, or leave him at large to continue with his looting spree? Has the president not learnt from his mentor, Dr. Garang, regarding combating corruption when he said in Rumbek that “on the issue of corruption, this animal has grown bigger, to the extent that we cannot catch it using nets”?

Perhaps the current corrupt practices and the move toward the institutionalization of corruption may be the work of corrupt individuals who were recruited during the struggle as Dr. Garang told New York Times Magazine’s Journalist in June, 1994 interview when he was asked about corruption. Dr. Garang, in his reply, said the following: “For every hundred men I recruit I may have two thieves”. With 180, 000 SPLM/A fighters recruited between 1983 and 1991, based on this logic, nearly 4000 rascal thieves and corruption lords were recruited during that period. There is a possibility that large proportion of that figure survived the war and they are members of SPLM party who may be occupying higher positions, as the news of corruption we receive daily are associated with some whom he had appointed to the leadership but could not give them assignments because of corruption—but he needed them to fight the war at the time.

Knowing that there is a large significant number of robbers, rascals and thieves recruited by Dr. Garang who might be members of the GOSS under his leadership, what plans does he have to discipline them or give them honorable retirement since they were used in the struggle but survived the war? Will they be treated as SPLM/A veterans of corruption and should not be questioned and be left as such? If the president cannot provide safeguards to protect public funds and resources from SPLM veterans of corruption, where does he expect people to turn to? Has he forgotten the question posed by Tiger Battalion?

Tiger Battalion posed the following questions: “1. People’s army, ask the whole World, what took us to bush? 2. Why did the people of South Sudan take up arms?” The same Tiger Battalion provided answers for their questions. First, it was to liberate the South from the domination of the Arab North. Secondly, it was to fight against economic, social and political injustices which were imposed by the successive Northern regimes leading to marginalization of South Sudan. Tiger made it clear that the men and women of South Sudan will fight against the northern domination up to the last two persons.

With the twist of events, where the enemy of the South is no longer with us, but has been replaced by our own new found oppressors masquerading as liberators, is it not high time for the people of the South to revisit the Tiger Battalion’s enquiries into our struggle? Will we not take seriously into account the remarks made by Chairman of Parliamentary Committee, Prof. Bari Wanji, investigating corruption within the Ministry of Finance when he said that “corruption is a social, cultural and economic genocide”? Is it not high time that those who committed “economic genocide” should be brought to justice? Perhaps Tiger Battalion’s veterans would recommend to the GOSS to form a committee to investigate not only the Ministry of Finance, but the whole web of Gogrial-Aweil dynasty and other Ministries that have been accused of mismanaging public funds—as clearly stated in the press release of SPLM/A Veterans against corruption and nepotism titled “Incompetence and Corruption are the Hallmarks of GOSS”.

With Prof. Wanji’s remarks, perhaps we should in all earnest reflect and take account of what our spiritual leader and Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wacko said about corruption in Southern Sudan. The most reverend made it clear that corruption in Juba is widespread to the point that anyone can practice it with impunity and even with pride. With such a remark coming from a revered and well respected spiritual leader, what is then left for Salva Kiir Mayardit to salvage? As a practicing Catholic who often goes to attend church services and take his mass (serve holy communion), is he not well aware of the role of the Roman Catholic Church in rendering services to the poor and liberating them from the bondage of poverty, oppression and corruption, as they have done in most of the third world countries particularly in Latin America where the church has a powerful role to play? Has he forgotten the role of the churches during liberation struggle which led to the formation of the New Sudan Council of churches and made the whole World to understand the flight of the people of South Sudan from Arab domination?

If Kiir doesn’t take seriously the advice of spiritual leaders, perhaps he should be reminded to take note of the remarks made by CDR James Wani Igga in Rumbek Conference of 2004. CDR James Wani, among others, listed problems which he envisaged were responsible for the crippling of the SPLM/A movement and its institutions, i.e., rampant corruption, the existence of kitchen cabinet, tribalism, nepotism, and regional discrimination. Unless Mayardit is still maintaining his position which he stated clearly during the conference that he was much concerned only about the welfare of the people of Bhar el Ghazal whom he regarded were being marginalized in the Movement—as he alleged that “there are people among us who are more dangerous than the enemy”—only to be rebuked by CDR Oyai Deng Ajak, current Chief-of-staff of the SPLA that CDR Kiir Mayardit should show statesmanship and behave like a South Sudan leader, which has now come to be true having taken over the rein of power after the tragic death of his dear leader and mentor.

Coming back to celebration of the 2nd anniversary of the CPA, we would expect the president to give a statement on the current state of affairs that has affected some members of the top leadership of the SPLM regarding allegations of misappropriation of public funds. The public would expect him to endorse the proposal of honorable Yasser Arman, the member of politburo of the SPLM and leader of SPLM Caucus in the National assembly, who recommended the formation of ad-hoc committee at presidency level to investigate and fight corruption in the apparatus of the state. Such a panel should probe into rampant corruption and the allegations that have been brought against the Vice-president and Minister of Housing, Dr. Riek Machar, Madam Rebecca de Mabior, Minister for Roads and transport and Lt. Gen. Oyai Deng Ajak, Chief-of-staff of the SPLA army.

According to our own reliable sources, the May, 2006 GOSS budget was $1.3 billion in which some of the institutions that had the lions share were the SPLA Affairs with the budget of $526 million; Roads and Transport with $165 million and Ministry of Housing with $120 million. Could there be a correlation between the allegations brought against Riek Machar, Rebecca Nyandeng, Oyai Deng Ajak and the handling of funds under these institutions as we recently experienced the JIUs’ protest and the deterioration of roads in Juba including lack of housing for the government employees? Perhaps, this question should be answered by the president himself as he is fully aware of the monumental task of development that awaits the GOSS. We assume that the president has the master plan for the development of the South as it was laid down by Dr. John Garang where he identified the priority areas that should be addressed immediately within the eighteenth month period after the signing of the CPA and the formation of the GOSS.

Among some of Dr. Garang top priorities were trunk roads that would have to be completed in the first eighteen months of the formation of the Government of Southern Sudan and which would come into service after twenty four or thirty six months. According to that schedule, Southern Sudan would have a reasonable road network by 2008. Food security was a common sense objective that had to be achieved at the shortest time possible. This was to be done through the direct empowerment of the family to expand and improve production of crops and livestock. Self sufficiency was to begin at the household level. Dr. Garang was going to use the oil revenue to fuel agriculture—the only economic sector in which all the people are involved in one way or the other. The policy objective is to evade the tendency of oil dependency and economic policies aimed at creating small super-rich elite of the SPLM party and a vast poor majority of South Sudan.

So far, we can only see that the Ministry of Roads and Transport is receiving a reasonable amount of budget for the realization of Dr. Garang’s vision. However, the way the Ministry is handling the matters pertaining to roads construction may not lead to meeting the deadline Garang suggested. As for other ministries, particularly the Agriculture—which is the backbone of Southern Sudan economy—we have not seen any step towards increasing agricultural production that may give incentive to rural farmers to reach the level of self-sufficiency and move towards cash crop economy that may spur economic growth both in the rural and urban sectors. Kiir Mayardit should understand that what sustains the rural and the urban poor is their local economy based on informal sector, i.e., sale of local produces (fruits and vegetables) and the local beer brewing, which make them earn their living as well as providing some sort of social amenities. That is why foreigners who visit Juba usually find government employees and their bosses busy taking their beers to encourage them to go back to work in order to boost productivity, or to put succinctly, in order to cripple productivity in government offices. It should be made clear to Kiir Mayardit that Garang’s vision of developing economy of the South is very important and must be taken up seriously by the GOSS if they still maintain his legacy.

For Contact:
Gordon Buay,
Chairman of South Sudan Democratic Forum-Canada Ottawa, ON
Tel. (613)260-9307
Email: southsudandemocraticparty@hotmail.com

About Post Author

PaanLuel Wël

administrator

PaanLuel Wël is the founder and editor-in-chief of PaanLuel Wël Media Ltd, a news website that covers news, opinions, analysis, history, culture and literature of South Sudan and the world. Founded in July 2011 by PaanLuel Wël to create a platform for free expression and constructive dialogue, the website features articles from various contributors, including columnists, commentators, poets, authors, activists and academics. PaanLuel Wël believes that media can play a vital role in informing, educating and empowering the people to participate in nation-building and social transformation. He also believes that media can foster a culture of dialogue, tolerance and diversity among different communities and groups, and hopes to inspire and mentor the next generation of South Sudanese writers and journalists.

See author's posts