Igga warns punitive measures against corrupt officials

The government’s Economic Cluster, led by Vice President Dr James Wani Igga, has started exploring avenues to hold individuals accountable for perpetuating corruption in the non-oil revenue collections.

The cluster did not mention any individuals but said the collective effort was needed to ensure the eradication of malpractices within the National Revenue Authority to maximise revenue collections.

The sub-committee headed by the Minister of Livestock and Fisheries, Adigo Onyoti, sought the input of the newly appointed Minister of Finance, Agak Achuil Lual, over the matter on Thursday.

“Alternatively, the meeting is to brief the new minister of finance and then [propose] what action can be taken against people who have already committed some atrocities in the area of revenue collections; that is why we have to be serious,” Minster Onyoti told the state-owned SSBC.

“We need to agree that there is a need to deal with these people who are making a mess of the collections at the revenue authority because we intend to make reforms in the economic sector and in the collections so that we can increase our revenue for the benefit of the people of South Sudan.”

In October, the Reconstituted Transitional National Legislature Assembly (R-TNLA) directed the government to give the anti-corruption commission powers to prosecute corrupt officials in the government and recover stolen assets.

A member of R-TNLA, Mary Besencio Wani, suggested that individual government officials perpetuating corruption should be exposed to combat the vice in the country.

Harsh repercussions                       

“I recommend that the names of the individuals and government officials that are corrupt be published in the media to shame them,” said lawmaker Ms Besencio.

However, since the formation of the unity government and the subsequent formation of the economic cluster to effect reforms in the financial system, the government has witnessed a partial improvement in non-oil revenue collections.

Last month, Dr Igga, the chair of the cluster, said a collection to the tune of more than SSP7 billion had been realised in the past couple of months, as he called for the scaling up of the government’s procurement to maximise revenue. 

“Areas of concentration, of course, include reforming the entire public financial management and procurement system.” This is important and we are making final touches to the procurement system. So you in the state, that is where the biggest part of corruption falls, ” Dr Igga said during the opening session of the governor forum.

The cabinet in September passed an SSP 287.04 billion budget for the 2021/2022 fiscal year to be primarily funded by oil and non-oil revenue as the second source, as well as grants from other countries.