Two parliamentarians in South Sudan’s Lol State were arrested last week for different charges, following orders from the state government.
Lol state assembly speaker Deng Nguach told Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday that the assembly former speaker Garang Mawein Mawein was arrested while in Juba and will be transferred to Nyamlel for further investigations.
Nguach said Mawein is accused of forging the state parliament’s official stamp and exercising the powers of the speaker while in Juba, a crime he says can take him to court.
Speaker Nguach also said the chairperson of the parliamentary information committee William Wel Deng has been arrested on separate grounds.
According to him, Wel who was found in possession of 9 rifles was arrested by security forces after engaging in shoot out with the security officers. Nguach said he is being held at the army’s Division 3 Wunyiik headquarters.
The transitional constitution of South Sudan stipulates that no criminal proceedings or charges shall be initiated or undertaken against any legislator without permission from the speaker of parliament in the event of a serious crime.