South Sudan’s presidency says the Sentry report which accused President Salva Kiir of making a profit while the country suffers in a continuous cycle of civil war is politically motivated.
Ateny Wek Ateny, spokesman of President Kiir, told Radio Tamazuj yesterday that the report released aims to smear Kiir’s reputation, claiming President Kiir does not own any house outside South Sudan.
“The report is politically motivated in its details, there are people who want to tarnish the personality of the president,”said Ateny.” The president does not own any house in Kenya, he does not have a house even in Juba, so the report is baseless, “he added.
He explained that the Sentry report failed to provide any evidence implicating President Kiir in corruption, while describing the report as a defamation of President’s character.
For his part, Pouk Both Baluang, SPLM-IO Director of Information, denied reports that former vice president and prominent opposition leader Riek Machar was involved in corruption in South Sudan.
Baluang told Radio Tamazuj that the report lacks evidence on former vice president Riek Machar. “Up to now there is no any evidence, it is just an accusation, if there are documents,they should provide them, because renting two houses abroad is not a crime,” said Puok.
The opposition official claimed that The Sentry report is an attempt to exclude Riek Machar from the transitional government, saying the move will have negative impacts on peace and stability in South Sudan.
An activist organization based in the United States said South Sudan’s top leaders have made a profit while the country suffers in a cycle of civil war.
The Sentry, an initiative led by actor George Clooney and activist John Pendergast, this week released a high profile report detailing a network of supposed corruption in South Sudan. The report says that corruption drives continued war in the world’s youngest nation.