Former Finance Minister of South Sudan’s Western Bahr al Ghazal State Lillian Valentino Rizig has opened a case with the police against the Wau State governor for accusing her of embezzlement of public funds.

Wau State is one of two successor states of Western Bahr el Ghazal State (WBEG), with its capital at Wau, the capital of the former WBEG. Opposition parties say the formation of the 28 new states is unconstitutional, but governors appointed by President Kiir have moved to establish new structures.

Wau State Governor Elias Waya Nyipuoc last month at a public event accused the former finance minister of Western Bahr el Ghazal of emptying government bank accounts before leaving office.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Sunday, Lillian Rizig said she had opened a case under article 138 (defamation) against the governor at Northern Police Station in Juba.

“The case has been opened under article 138 which is about defamation, it was opened in Juba at Northern Police Station, so the witnesses who heard on the radio that the minister of finance had withdrawn six million by a cheque were investigated,” said Valentino

The former minister, who had served under the now ousted governor Governor Rizig Zachariah, stressed that she started to follow legal procedures to sue the newly appointed governor for accusing her of withdrawing six million South Sudanese pounds by a cheque.

The ally of the former governor pointed out that police authorities have already questioned witnesses of the defamation case and that the prosecution will soon start the legal procedures. She added that immunity of the appointed governor will first be lifted so the prosecution can proceed with all the legal procedures against him.

Valentino noted that she managed to obtain a financial report that over one million South Sudanese pound still remain in the accounts of the defunct Western Bahr al Ghazal state. This contradicts statements made by the appointed governor that the government accounts were all siphoned, according to the former official.