Southern Sudan’s Anti- Corruption Commission has issued a declaration to all executive and legislative officials and senior civil servants to disclose all income and assets by end February this year.
By so doing, the commission intends to net corrupt officials.
Most people in southern Sudan have welcomed the declaration and urged the commission to punish those found guilty of corruption harshly.
According to southern Sudan government official, James Bol, this is one of the strategies to fight the rampant corruption in the country.
“The commission is doing what it is supposed to do, that is fighting corruption. The Commission has a mandate to fight corruption and looking at the way civil servants acquire wealth is one way of establishing whether they are corrupt or not,” Bol said.
Southern Sudan, which acquired semi autonomous status in 2005, on signing a Comprehensive Peace Agreement after over 20 years of war with Khartoum government, has been hit with corruption. Cases of corruption especially among civil servants are common in the oil and mineral rich country.
“It is therefore not surprising that most people in southern Sudan welcomed the the new law on income and asset transparency for government officials.” Deng said.
Some southern Sudanese have suggested that more vigilance be given to assets that are transferred by corrupt officials overseas.
William Deng, one of the anti corruption crusaders in southern Sudan insists that “many corrupt officials are banking the money they get through dubious ways in foreign banks. Some are constructing big buildings in Uganda and Kenya. The commission should follow up such assets.”
Other people said that controls are needed to stop money received from donor community from ending up in the bank accounts of some government officials.
