The Northern Bahr al Ghazal State Legislative Assembly has summoned Minister of Agriculture Lual Dau Marach and ordered him to repay funds that went ‘missing’ from the ministry as well as equipment and fuel that were taken.
The House refused to accept reports from the minister explaning the expenditures and voted that he should remit missing funds and other properties to the account of the state government.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday, the Chairman of the Agriculture Committee Aguer Wol Aguer said the minister must comply with the resolution. He added that goverement cultivation projects will fail this year because the allocated money and fuel were misused by the minister of agriculture.
According to lawmakers the minister is granted only 14 days with effect from issuing date of the resolution. They have also said if the minister fails to remit the funds he will face legal measures against him.
Aguer said, “The resolution is carried out from the report of the committee that was reported into the house and the minister was summoned and then when the minister was summoned I think the resolution was made… that the all money that was lost in the ministry has to be returend back according to the law. Because there are so many money which was lost and it was not very cleary [why].”
Fuel and properties “lost on the way” also have to be returned by the ministry.
According to the assembly, the total amount of missing funds is 18,750 SSP and 17,500 USD. The missing supplies and equipment ar elisted as 251 drums of fuel, 1 tractor with trailer, and six motorbikes.