From Adia Jildo, in Juba, South Sudan
South Sudan’s Cabinet minister, Elia Lomoro, has denied diverting finances meant for the implementation of the peace agreement and the road map into the office of the president for special projects and other issues.
The Public Accounts Committee, the Finance and Economy Committees of the Parliament had summoned the cabinet minister on Thursday to answer questions and queries in relation to the transfer of $10 million to the account of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the implementation of key provisions of the agreement and special files.
Dr. Lomoro however admitted to have received 15 billion South Sudanese pounds meant for the peace mechanisms but admitted that some of the funds meant for the implementation of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement were diverted to special projects in the president’s office among other expenditures.
Lomoro told the press that his statement was taken out of context when he presented it before the parliament.
“I did not say that the office of the President is holding an account for payment of special projects. I did not say that. What I said, and I meant, is that the President, like any president in the world, holds special files to address any issue in the country,” Lomoro told the media during a press briefing in Juba.
Lomoro lashed at media houses for reporting inappropriately causing the public outcry.
According to Lomoro, the money was not remitted to the ministry of foreign affairs and diverted as claimed.
“As I speak now, payments to the concerned agreement institution have been paid. So the Judiciary Reform Committee has been paid. The National Constitutional Amendment Committee has been paid. And the payments for the National Constitutional Review Commission and the National Human Rights Council are being processed, because we only received their accounts two days ago. So the agreement is being implemented,” he told the media on Monday.
He added that processes to implement the peace agreement were uninterrupted and would continue without any inferences.
