South Sudan’s Office of the President issued the following statement in response to a report by the website Sudan Tribune.

Press release: President’s Office not compromised during theft

News reports that six million South Sudanese Pounds were stolen from the President’s Office are incorrect and we wish to clarify the facts regarding the theft and ongoing investigation.

SSP 176,196 and USD 14,000 were stolen from the accounts office, which is located in the administrative block of the general Office of the President complex. At no time was the actual Office of the President compromised or vulnerable, as it is located in a separate and fully enclosed compound. Security around the Office of the President is extremely controlled and the safety of the President was never compromised.

All accounts of The Office of the President are facilitated through the Ministry of Finance and cash is only availed for specific projects as necessary. The missing funds were delivered to pay salaries for junior staff that currently do not have bank accounts for direct deposit (mostly drivers and maintenance staff) and also for several special projects including the opening of the newest addition to the Office of the President complex.

The necessary authorities, including the Presidential Protection Unit and the Police (CID Unit) are involved in the investigation. The investigation is currently under due process, and further details will only be made available upon its conclusion. Additional security and safety measures have been put in place to ensure that the same type of incident is not repeated.