President Salva Kiir Mayardit has formed a committee headed by Justice John Gatwich Lul to investigate three top officials within the presidency over the disappearance of funds late last month.

Last month the president’s office acknowledged in a press statement that 176,196 pounds and 14,000 dollars were stolen from the accounts office, which is located in the administrative block of the president’s office complex.

At that time the presidential protection unit and criminal investigation department of the police were involved in investigating the theft. 

The three members of the president’s senior staff named for investigation are Chief Administrator Mayen Wol Jong, Executive Director Yel Luol Koor and Controller of Accounts Nhomuot Agoth Cithiik. They have also been suspended from work.

In a decree dated yesterday, coinciding with the state visit of the Sudanese president, Kiir appointed a four member committee comprising Justice John Gatwich Lul as chairman, Awad Masha as his deputy, Dr. Kuyok Abol Kuyok as secretary, and Ochan Livingstone as member.

The committee is tasked to “ascertain the exact amount of money stolen; and as to how the said money was stolen, despite the fact that there is heavy security in and around the Office of the President; and why such amount of money kept in a building which was [now] serving as a strong room, instead of keeping it in a Bank.”

Within the terms of reference for the new committee, it is directed to investigate the three senior staff mentioned above, whom the Minister in the Office of the President, Emmanuel Lowilla, is also directed to suspend.

Reportedly, another six more junior staff were earlier suspended, bringing the number of affected personnel within the Office of the President to nine. At least one of those being investigated – one of the top three – is now in Uganda, Radio Tamazuj has learnt.

The Minister in the Office of the President is directed “to urge them to appear before the Committee on time and place named by it.”

South Sudan’s Investigation Committees Act of 2006 permits the president to establish committees empowered to conduct hearings, issue summons, collect documents and issue warrants of arrest for people refusing to appear before the committee without valid reason.

In a separate decree yesterday the president also relieved Deputy Minister for International Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Elias Nyamlel Wako.