Aleu Ayieny Aleu, South Sudan’s Minister of Interior, will not testify at the special court in Juba trying the ousted SPLM secretary-genearal Pag’an Amum for treason, after the court dropped its summons for him to appear.

The prosecution told the court today, early Tuesday, that it has dropped its request for the minister to appear as a prosecution witness, according to lead prosecutor James Mayen.

Yesterday the court had demanded that the minister appear before the court after failing to answer a previous summons. Upon the request of the lead prosecutor, the judge said Aleu is dropped from the list of prosecution witnesses. 

The court suggested that the last chance for the prosecution to bring other summoned witnesses is Friday this week.

“In order not to delay the continuation of the court, the prosecutor team has decided to discard testimony of Hon. Gen Aleu Ayieny Aleu, the Minister of Interior from prosecution witnesses,” said lead prosecutor James Mayen.  

For his part, defense lawyer Monyluak Alor said the absence of the Minister of Interior is good for the defense case. Monyluak has demanded the court to dismiss all pieces of evidence related to the Minister of Interior.

“We have no objection to the request of the prosecution to drop their witness and we insist that not only that the prosecution witnesses should be discarded, but we request the honorable court to scrap any pieces of evidence that would relate to this particular prosecution witness,” said Monyluak. 

Pag’an Amum, the ousted SPLM secretary-general, faces charges of treason alongside three former top government officials, Ezekiel Gatkuoth, Majak D’Agoot and Oyai Deng.

“As for as we know, the minister of interior has presented the most crucial evidence that was central to the case and with his absence in this manner I hope the consequences will bear in the case,” Monyluak added.

Photo: Justices of the special court set up for the trial of four alleged 'coup plotters', 11 March 2014