Eastern Equatoria state lawmakers last week voted to impeach Minister of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Joseph Opio over corruption allegations, MPs said.
Mr Joseph Opio was appointed to the position after being nominated by the Other Political Parties (OPP), a party to the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.
South Sudan is governed by a transitional coalition government formed under the peace agreement signed in neighbouring Ethiopia.
On 4 August 2022, parties to the peace agreement signed on to a further two-year extension of the governance arrangements, postponing general elections until late 2024.
Visor Likale Olum, the deputy chairperson of the parliamentary committee for legislation and legal affairs, told Radio Tamazuj that the state MPs passed a vote of no confidence against Minister Joseph Opio on 18 December, adding that the minister was questioned in the assembly over corruption allegations.
“Mr Opio actually became a minister before the parliament was reconstituted, and when he came into office, he interfered with the asset of the parliament, and one of them was a car. The car was for the former speaker of Torit state, so he ordered the car from the former speaker, and he took the car in good condition,” Olum said.
“When the assembly came, the assembly demanded that car, but the minister could not give a clear explanation, and this prompted the parliament to summon him many times, but he did not appear before the assembly, and lastly, the assembly decided to vote him out in his absentia,” he added.
The lawmaker also accused the governor of encouraging corruption, saying that Governor Louis Lobong failed to move quickly and declined to have the minister suspended or removed after the impeachment vote.
“It was very unfortunate when we got a letter from the governor that indicates that the minister should continue with his service as he consults with the party. That one, to us, is a violation of the constitution. It is in the powers of the assembly not to tolerate such kind of corrupt practices,” he stressed.
The MP, however, did not say what will be their next step.
For his part, Stephen Namwang, the Deputy Press Secretary in the Office of the Governor, said: “Yes, I am aware of the letter written by the governor to the parliament.”
According to the press official, the governor has no powers to remove a minister under the 2018 peace agreement.
“Based on the peace agreement, people are nominated by their political parties; it is not the governor who nominated them,” he said.
Namwang confirmed that Governor Lobong has informed the state legislative assembly that the impeached minister will continue to carry out his regular duties as the state government consults with the OPP.
The OPP leadership and the impeached minister could not immediately be reached for comment.