South Sudan vows to double efforts against corruption

JUBA – South Sudan’s Vice President for Economic Cluster, Dr. James Wani Igga, has said his government is ramping up its efforts to fight corruption in the world’s youngest nation.

Dr.  Wani made this vowed at the SPLM Interim State and Administrative Chairpersons’ consultative meeting held in Juba on Thursday following days after a UN report accused the country’s governing elites of looting tens of millions of dollars from public coffers.

Last week, the UN’s Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan released a report saying that political elites had diverted more than $73 million from public coffers and resources without trace since 2018, with at least $39 million being stolen in just two months.

“We must redouble our efforts in political and intellectual education, reinforce stricter party discipline on investors continue to remove bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance, be severe in cracking down on corruption and respond to the demands of people,”   Dr. Wani said.

Dr. Wani disclosed the ruling party, SPLM is going to form committees to investigate and prosecute its officials involved in the corruption scandal.

“We must strengthen party discipline especially by reinforcing political discipline, enhancing oversight of enforcement and improving investigation into and prosecution of corruption cases,” he said.

“This is better done through concerted efforts of party committee or sub-committees or through government agencies,” he added.

He reaffirmed his party commitment to resolve issues of low salaries of civil servants.

“We have no choice but resolve to eliminate malpractice. Our historical party is here to promote integrity by solving pressing and tempting problems of low salaries in the country,” he said.

“As part of our government Economic Cluster responsibility, we have made and are making remarkable progress in resolutely combing and rooting out unscrupulous officials,” he stated.