The head of a Northern Bahr al Ghazal parliamentary committee which released a report this week accusing the state’s former caretaker governor of corruption says he’s been threatened by an official implicated in his invesitgation.
On Friday, Angok claimed that state health minister Tong Deng Anei called to threaten him over the report. Angok’s report revealed that public funds meant for county health facilities were allegedly not transferred or accounted for.
“The minister of health, Tong Deng, called me to say they have accepted the fight,” Angok said. “I don’t know with whom they have accepted the fight. He did not explain. He just told me that we have accepted the fight which we want. I said, ‘Which fight?’ He said the assembly has released a report which has no meaning. I told him the report of the committee is credible. We have documentary evidences showing the details of the transfers against what was approved.”
Angok’s report alleged that over 1 million South Sudanese Pounds of public funds meant for county health departments went missing without explanation.
“A lot of money has slipped between the fingers,” Angok said. “We don’t know what has been done with this money. All the counties have not received full transfers.”
The missing funds include up to 427,287 SSP meant for Aweil East County health department that were not transfered. Aweil West County received just 219,736 SSP out of 5,803,338. Aweil South received only 151,248 out of 413,820 SSP.
Besides the missing health funds, Angok’s investigation alleged that tax funds were kept by collection agents and that 163,000 US dollars slated to purchase vehicles for government officials went missing.
Former caretaker governor Kuel Aguer Kuel has denied the allegations of corruption within his administration, saying the accusations are politically motivated.
File photo: Kuel Aguer Kuel
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N Bahr al Ghazal parliament accuses former governor of corruption (10 Jun.)