Lado Arminio, a High Court Judge in South Sudan’s Central Equatorial State has claimed that security agents at Juba International Airport confiscated his passport and prevented him from traveling to Egypt on Saturday afternoon.

“Today on Saturday I want to travel to Egypt for treatment but the security took my passport telling me I am not allowed to travel to Egypt, for what reason I don’t know,” he told the Citizen newspaper.

The judge further revealed that he also consulted his seniors in the judiciary to enquire whether the security agents were acting on directives of a higher authority.

He pointed out that he talked to the Chief Justice on the matter, but the latter denied any knowledge about what happened to him at the airport.

Arminio also told Al Masier newspaper on Monday that he was directed by the security personnel at the airport to meet someone he does not know – an apparent reference to a security agent who declined to identify himself.

“You see, this happened to me although I have immunity as judge, I think the matter had a connection with the court case involving Pagan Amum and Al Masier newspaper last year – but I am not a politician,” he explained.

The high court judge stressed that he will pick up his passport from the Chief Justice, not from somebody whose name he does not know.