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Quote: The Citizen (Juba) South Sudan: Ex-Minister Accuses Amum of Taking $30 Million, Named VP in Scandal BY MARY AJITH GOCH & MISUK MOSES, 10 FEBRUARY 2012 Juba — Former Minister of Finance Arthur Akuien Chol levelled strong accusations against the SPLM Secretary General Pagan Amum of receiving 30 Million US dollars from him in his personal account in 2006 and further alleged that the Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny instructed him the same year to purchase vehicles for the Government of Southern Sudan GOSS from Cardinal Company whose price was twice the actual amount. The Ex-Minister claimed that before he approved the money to be transferred to the SPLM Secretary General's account he got instruction from what he described as "from above" without stating the name of the person to do so. The matter was generated by recent discussion of the Audit Report of 2005-6 and the accusation against Chol by the Former Bank Governor Elijah Malok in the Parliament describing Chol as a "thief" at the end of last month, accusation which Chol brushed off. Chol at a Press Conference in Home and Away yesterday explained that in 2006 a sum of 60, million US dollars was given to GOSS/SPLM by the then Sudan President Al Bashir and sent to GOSS Account and he (Chol) due to instruction "from above" approved $30Million for expenditure out of the 60 Million and he has documents to verify the expenses and then released the other half of $30 Million to Amum to account for it. "I can account for the $30Million of which I hold the copies of documents because my involvement in this could be reference to the approvals I made having been instructed from above but the other $30, Million was placed in the hands of SPLM SG Pagan Amum as it was paid by the Ministry of Finance directly to his account as once again I had been instructed from above to transfer that amount and Pagan should account for this," Chol claimed displaying to Reporters photocopies of the authorization letter and cheque issued. This followed the allegations labelled against Chol that he was corrupt. "It is unfortunate that I have been pushed to the point where it is necessary for me to stand up and take this opportunity to list out some, if only a few of the transgressions made by few against the public interest of the people of South Sudan," Chol said in a press conference he organized to "clear" himself from Public about corruption allegations. Returning to his removal his ministerial position in the Ministry of Finance, he said it was due to the allegations that he purchased the vehicles from the Cardinal Company in which it was not true that he conducted the process alone but that he was instructed by the Vice President to do so. "I was accused of purchasing vehicles from Cardinal Company at a price twice the actual amount leading to my removal as the Minister of Finance. Well these vehicles were purchased following written instructions from the Vice President Riek Machar, that I should purchase the vehicles from the expensive Cardinal Company for various Ministries, in turn I directed the Undersecretary of Finance to proceed with the transactions and left for Malaysia and Singapore. Following this I was removed from my Office and my duties were terminated as the Minister of Finance and immediately thereafter I was accused and arrested for corruption but letter I was investigated and tried and there was no evidence of wrong doing as the case was dismissed by Province Judge Malek Mathiang in Juba on 30th September 2009" he asserted Chol said he acknowledge and commend the Auditor General's report but challenge that the report was not sufficient to the discovery of the true facts and recommended the Auditor General to do a full audit on the national Bank. "Am sure if they do this in a diligent and professional manner, they will find missing links as they are there, but not yet discovered" he concluded Efforts by the Citizen to get the Secretary's General reaction and the Vice President to the allegation were unsuccessful. Tagged: East Africa, Legal Affairs, South Sudan Copyright © 2012 The Citizen. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 130 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.