By Staff Writer
A senior National Security official has revealed that two prominent South Sudan businessmen are facing imminent arrest over of two oil cargoes estimated at USD 142 million. He also added that the Presidential Advisor on Security Tut Gatluak Manime who has been providing political protection to the two businessmen was also involved in the deal.
According to reliable sources within the Ministry of Petroleum, National Security Service, Ministry of Finance & Planning, the two businessmen colluded with senior officials in Khartoum to steal two cargoes of oil belonging to the people of South Sudan.
“You know these two individuals are among the few elites that have privatized natural resources particularly oil that contribute to nearly 98% revenues for the whole country. They have always been allocated oil cargoes that ranges between 2 to 4 cargoes every month. However, the government decided to allocate two oil cargoes to the Ministry of Finance & Planning to pay salaries for civil servants and organized security forces such as the army. Instead of the money being paid to the Ministry of Finance & Planning, the two businessmen colluded with officials in Khartoum and forged previous documents issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Ministry of Finance & Planning to divert proceeds of oil sales from the two cargoes valued at USD 142 million to their private accounts in Dubai, UAE”, said the official privy to the ongoing investigation regarding the loss of two cargoes.
The source revealed that the theft of these two cargoes was facilitated by the Deputy President of Sudan, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo popularly known Hemeti who is reported to have threatened the Minister of Finance in Khartoum to pay the money for two cargoes to bank accounts of Kur Ajing Ater and Paulino Diing Madol in Dubai. It is also reported that the Presidential Advisor on Security, Tut Gatluak Manime threatened the Minister of Finance Dier Tong to instruct the Minister of Finance in Khartoum to pay the money directly from Khartoum to Kur Ajing Ater and Paulino Diing Madol bank accounts in Dubai.
According to preliminary investigations, Paulino Diing Madol who has been adversely mentioned in this scandal has spent nearly USD 20 million to bribe senior officials in the Office of the President including the Executive Director James Deng Wal and other officials in the Ministry of Petroleum, Ministry of Finance and National Security Service in order to “kill the ongoing investigations and avoid arrest and possible prosecution before the court of law” for this heinous crimes and fraud.
The two businessmen have so far received USD 650 million in December last year in a secret Sovereign Guarantee back by crude oil from the Transitional Financial Agreement (TFA) between South Sudan and Sudan. They have also received millions of US Dollars that were due to be paid to South Sudan after the reconciliation of sales of crude oil under TFA between South Sudan and Sudan. The two businessmen are expected to receive another USD 150 million this month from the Ministry of Finance in Khartoum. This money have already been transferred to their bank accounts in Dubai where they have purchased properties worth billions of US dollars. These individuals have been telling their associates they are they are receiving these money on behalf of President Salva Kiir Mayardit and his family. “We are being criticized that we are taking this money for ourselves but that is not true. We are doing this to benefit our President Salva Kiir Mayardit. We are not just “eating” this money alone”, said Paulino Diing Madol in a secretly recorded message. According to reliable sources in Dubai, Paulino Diing Madol is worth more than USD 3 billions dollars stashed away in Dubai. Paulino Diing Madol is quoted as saying that he is holding this money on behalf of President Salva Kiir Mayardit and his family.
A prominent political analyst who did not want to name for security reason has called on President Salva Kiir Mayardit not to intervene and let these individuals be brought to justice in the same way a Member of Parliament Deng Tong involved in the theft of USD 42 million to be brought to justice. “We know a Member of Parliament for involvement in the theft of USD 42 million. We are asking President Salva Kiir to ensure that Kur Ajing Ater, Paulino Diing Madol and Presidential Security Advisor Tut Gatluak Manime are brought to justice for the involvement in the loss of two oil cargoes worth USD 142 million that belong to the people of South Sudan”.
Businessman Paulino Diing Madol (Left) and Gordon Buay (Official at South Sudan Embassy in the US) during the recent US-Africa Summit in Washington, DC. Paulino Diing Madol actually went to the US to lobby US Government to lift sanctions on his business partner Kur Ajing Ater.