Retrial ordered for four Kenyans jailed 72 years in South Sudan

Nairobi\Juba, Wednesday, April 12 (Jonglei Times)-The Sudan Court of Appeal has ordered the retrial of 16 people convicted for alleged involvement in corruption in Juba.

Among them are four Kenyans - Boniface Chuma, Ravi Ghaghda, Antony Keya and Anthony Mwadime.

They were working in the country when they were arrested and charged with various offences relating to financial misappropriation, and given 72-year jail sentences.

Last month, Foreign Affairs CS Amina Mohamed refuted claims the government had abandoned the four.

But their families said no action had been taken.

In an 80-page ruling, the South Sudan court further directed that the accused remain at Juba Central Prison during the retrial. 

According to the media report lawyers representing the accused were served with the copies of the judgment on Tuesday.

The accused were arrested by the General Intelligence Bureau on different dates.

The first to be arrested was John Agou and his employees who were taken from Click Technologies premises on May 29, 2015.

Two senior presidential aides, who included the former chief administrator, Mayen Wol Jong and the ex-executive director Yel Luol Koor were also suspended and placed under investigation.

They were accused of offences including forgery, fraud, conspiracy to defraud the government, money laundering and financing terrorism.

They were detained and investigated for more than a year before being charged on February 22, 2016.

The group was then tried for four months, sentenced and convicted to life imprisonment on June 13, 2016.

©2017 Jonglei Times Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 

To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, send your email to jongleitimes@gmail.com.

We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. 

Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which Jonglei Times does not have the legal right to edit or correct.