Articles and Analysies
Where Are the Dollars GoSS? By Deng Mulwal
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May 23, 2009 - 6:01:26 PM

Where Are the Dollars GoSS?

Deng Mulwal

In his address of the Second Forum for Sudanese Media Professionals Abroad, Presidential Advisor, Dr. Ghazi Salah Addeen revealed that GoSS which is representing the SPLM received more than $6 billion since the signature of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement four years ago.

Dr. Ghazi was right when he questioned about the whereabouts of that amounts in the light of the deteriorating economic and security situations in the South.

It was astonishing to know that there is no auditor general in the South, together with the absence of the legislative monitoring.
It goes without saying that corruption is considered the first cause hampering development in South Sudan . The high salaries, illusory or ghost names on payrolls and smuggling of money abroad through coffins were the means followed in practicing corruption which dragged South Sudan into the financial crisis.

Following the spread of corruption, GoSS has last March endorsed an act empowering a control commission to investigate hundreds of corruption complaints. That commission, which has been set in 2006, has not been vested with investigation powers until last March, three years after it has been established.

According to anti-corruption commission chairman they received hundreds of complaints from the frustrated public, and that they will focus on ten cases, some involving suspects, others violations of regulations, but the commission is still facing major challenges, notable of which is putting its hands on documented evidence as there is difficulty in obtaining them.
The commission refrained from publishing names of those convicted of corruption because they were advised that such was risky.
The share of GoSS from the oil revenue in the year 2007 amounted to $1 billion at a time GoSS is suffering deficit due to high expenditure in salaries and wages which the GoSS failed to cover.
How come the Unity State government has 100 advisors and in the Presidential Palace there are only 12!

Isn't it strange that the salary of the Undersecretary in GoSS is SDG18 thousand whilst the salary of the minister is SDG12 thousand!
In the news, an Australian bank revealed that most of the transmissions to it are from South Sudan !

Finally, the question which will be repeated by the Southern Sudan citizens is where are the dollars? What do the GoSS Minister of Finance, his undersecretary and directors general who receive the remittance of the oil money from the Central treasury monthly know about the disappearances of these large sums of money? What answers will they give in the forthcoming investigation of GoSS for the unaccountability of 6b Dollars?

GoSS is urged to take remedial measures to bring back the smuggled dollars to use it in providing the basic services to South Sudan people who feel that after the peace they were as if they were jumping from the frying pan of the civil war into the fire of the corruption within the GoSS.